


A Place Among Wolves

by ahnohnahmoohse



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Fluff, Long, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:08:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 75,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29262516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahnohnahmoohse/pseuds/ahnohnahmoohse
Summary: Mark had never expected his life to hold much brightness or joy. But when a chance encounter forces him to return from hiding to the world from which he had fled, Mark finds what he thought he had lost forever – friendship, family and love. He meets new friends, forms new bonds, and is drawn to a cunning Omega who radiates brightness and who’s scent is inexplicably intoxicating.But how long can Mark outrun the darkness of his past and identity? Slowly his new reality, at first perfect and joyous, begins to crumble until he is finally faced with an inescapable choice: to follow his profound love, or honour his duty to protect what matters to him most.[This is a long Alpha/Beta/Omega fic with slow-burn, fluff and plot. There are multiple couples (though the focus is on MarkHyuck), mature themes, explicit language, and (eventually) explicit sexual content. Don't worry about loose ends - this entire fic has been written in draft (58 chapters), but chapters will be uploaded one-by-one so that each addition can be edited. It's slow and lengthy, but I just tried to write what I thought I’d enjoy reading, so I hope some of you out there like it too!]
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 134
Kudos: 235





	1. Chapter 1

# Chapter One

The night was pitch black. The kind of black that hurt your ears with listening. But Jaehyun wasn’t listening. He was focused on his steps. His exhalations smoked out in front of him in the frost of the winter night as he walked the same track over and over again. 

Jaehyun had been at the old factory for hours, heaving wood from the trucks to the machines. His muscles ached under his skin with the repetitive, demanding movement, but the activity kept him searing warm against the biting cold of the night. 

The factory warehouse was in the middle of dense forest. Snow had fallen and receded to dirt and slush. There was no sound in the oil-paint darkness but that of Jaehyun’s footsteps, his grunts of effort and the leaden thud of the wood landing against the pile he unloaded. 

He wasn’t supposed to be there. The worksite technically shut at dusk, but the owner had long ago given Jaehyun a key to open the large warehouse doors when he wanted to. After Jaehyun had earned his trust, the owner didn’t care when the trucks were unloaded, as long as they were. 

Jaehyun and Mark could use the cash from some extra loads... and besides, Jaehyun was restless today - a deep, gnawing pestering feeling was etching at him like acid into glass, and he found this movement and the cold air some of the few things capable of soothing his disquiet. 

He made a habit of going to the warehouse at times like these - in the depths of night, in the earliest hours of the morning - when no one else was around. In these quiet moments, he could let himself be stronger than two larger men combined, he could grunt and growl as he worked. And on deserted nights like this one, when he felt something frustratingly wolf-like pulling at him, he could release his scent into the forest surroundings with abandon - a silent scream, a claim to nothing and everything all at once. 

Such was their world – lonely and expansive and boring and _safe_. 

Jaehyun heaved the last load from the truck with a guttural grunt that emanated loudly from his chest, inhuman and aggressive. It surprised even his own ears, and a rare moment of self-reflection identified that despite the solitude and physical catharsis, he hadn’t relaxed at all. 

But he _wanted_ to. His biceps and back were screaming at him. He wanted to go home, to check on Mark, to fall into his bed and rest his eyes, surround himself with familiar scents, to quiet the ache that had settled in his gut. His skin felt hot and his breath seared as it pushed against his throat. 

_What’s happening to me?_

Jaehyun fell back with a sigh onto one of the work benches and ran his fingers gruffly over his forehead and through his hair. He was sweating... despite the cold. 

His brow furrowed. He licked his lips slowly. He felt drunk. 

He hadn’t turned any lights on in the large, open warehouse. It was a dirty place, rundown and not cared for, but Jaehyun knew his way around. He got up, impatient, and walked slowly towards the back wall, where a few small storage rooms punctuated the open area. There was a work sink next to the first one, and Jaehyun’s thirst was suddenly unquenchable. 

Had he been thirsty before? He couldn’t remember. 

Had he always felt so unforgivingly _hot?_

Heat had pooled in his sternum and layered onto his skin. He pulled his shirt up off his stomach for a moment, the icy darkness doing nothing to assuage his discomfort. 

Usually agile in the dark, Jaehyun flinched as he caught the corner of the first storage room with the toe of his old boot. He cleared his throat and grunted in frustration, the sound loud and echoey in the empty chamber of the warehouse. 

He got to the sink and held cupped hands of freezing water to his mouth. He drank like he would die without it, but he was sated almost instantly. His body didn’t know what it wanted. He ran the remnants he’d collected through his hair and sighed. 

Maybe he was getting sick. 

He tensed as he heard something crash – the sound muffled but distinct – in one of the storage rooms to his left. 

Jaehyun swallowed as he turned silently in the darkness towards the doorway to the storeroom. His awareness charged into hypersensitivity as he closed his eyes. His heart almost stopped beating as he slowly, purposefully inhaled. 

The passive scent of the warehouse was overwhelming – pine and wood and damp and dust, all things Jaehyun was used to. But beyond it, past the dregs of normalcy and winter forest, was a sharp note of rich sweetness. 

As soon as he had locked onto it, his mind reeled with recognition. He hadn’t smelt the particular scent before, but he instantly knew what it meant. 

_Heat._

His rational mind – his _own_ mind – knew this was impossible... 

_Not impossible_... he amended with slight reprimand as he took one involuntary, stalking step forward, his stance already lowering slightly into something predatory. 

_Just highly improbable_. 

He swallowed, the movement slow and deliberate, before inhaling deeply and slowly through his nose again. All his cognition was dedicated to dissecting what he could sense. 

His eyes opened slowly. 

He couldn’t have mistaken this. Two years without smelling another wolf aside from Mark had only made him more attuned to the sensation. 

He was silent as he walked to the doorway of the storage unit. He put his palm flat on the hard barrier and slowly pushed forward to open the doorway. For once, the hinges moved silently. 

The first thing he saw was the open window on the far wall, cracked at the side with cold air whistling through. Jaehyun’s sight had heightened with his increased sensitivity, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness and could perceive every echo of starlight dusting the messy space. Then he saw the body below the window, a male breathing deeply, sitting with his palms on the concrete floor – struggling to stay upright. His body was lithe, almost underweight and drowning in a dark coat. His face was angular and strikingly handsome with large eyes and a sharp jaw. 

But what really hit Jaehyun next was the _smell_ , the scent rushed out of the room like a wave of visceral need and desire. It was utterly disorientating. 

Jaehyun choked and stumbled off balance into the shelves beside him. The crash was deafening in the charged silence, but the figure on the floor didn’t react. 

Jaehyun groaned deeply as he righted himself. Everything felt like an effort with that scent swirling around him. He was drunk off it. He couldn’t see properly. He cleared his throat. 

“You’re...” he tried to speak but couldn’t quite get the words out. He scrunched his eyes shut and took a deep breath before opening them again. When he gazed forward, he could see the figure looking up at him, the stranger’s dark eyes were luminous in the starlight, his mouth open as he panted lightly in the cold. Jaehyun licked his lips and summoned the strength to speak again. “You’re in heat.” 

The wolf shut his eyes, his breathing escalating. “Fuck,” the stranger groaned as his head dropped forward. His voice was thin with pain. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” A thread of fear began to lace the scent that was drowning Jaehyun. It was bitter and tense and it made Jaehyun simultaneously recoil in his conscious mind and latch on in his animal instinct. “I didn’t think...” his voice petered to silence as he took another uneven breath. His words were shaped by breathlessness and distraction, “I thought I was alone.” 

Alone. Jaehyun knew about this. He had chosen to keep Mark in this spot precisely because it was so devastatingly unlikely that any other wolves were already there. 

But he’d known there was a possibility. After all, if Mark had managed to get them there through the Portal, there was a chance it could still be there for others to find. 

But in the two years they had been here, this was the first time Jaehyun had seen any other wolf. And now an Omega had stumbled into _this_ warehouse on _this_ night in _heat_. 

Jaehyun licked his lips and tried to focus. It may not have been a coincidence in the slightest that he’d stumbled upon this wolf... why else had he come all the way out to the factory tonight? His sensitivity was bound to be escalated after so long. 

Jaehyun was brought back from his silence by another spike of fear hitting him through the scent of the Omega. The disclosure was unconscious and unintentional on the Omega’s part. He was clearly too lost in his heat to monitor his scent at all. 

Jaehyun braced himself on the cabinet next to him and was careful not to take a step forward by instinct. Methodically, he released his own scent, which – although laced with tension and instinctive desire – was overall a scent of safety, protection and self-control. 

As his own scent mixed with the Omega’s, he could see the wolf’s shoulders sag in instinctive relief. “Ugh,” he exhaled again, his voice taught with pain. “Sorry.” 

“Is there anyone? Anyone who can help you?” Jaehyun asked without moving. He wanted to keep as much distance as he could until he had acclimatized to the sharp, sensual edge to the scent. 

The figure shook his head slowly, the action clearly all he could muster. He was still breathing in shallow pants through his open mouth. “Just me.” 

Jaehyun nodded. This response had further implications. The language was rich in his mind despite the time without these customs. 

_Just me..._ unmated. 

Jaehyun tensed his arm and took one step forward as slowly as he could manage, but the movement was probably still too fast. The Omega flinched at the shift. 

“This town is empty.” Jaehyun kept to the task at hand. “There are no wolves here. I have one other – a young Alpha,” he spoke carefully and clearly, unsure of how much the Omega would be able to comprehend at this point in his cycle. “But I can take you to our home. I can keep you warm and safe.” he licked his lips self-consciously. “I have experience with Soothing,” he said, especially patient on this part. “The kid doesn’t,” he continued, “but he’ll listen to me.” 

The Omega continued to breathe shallowly; his eyes still hadn’t returned to Jaehyun’s face since he began speaking. 

“I have experience too,” the Omega spoke. His voice was breathy and soft, but behind the heat, Jaehyun could hear strength and surety. He looked up and from above reddened cheeks and Jaehyun could see the rational consciousness in the wolf's eyes – the strength it would have taken to keep himself present made Jaehyun feel fatigued and weak in comparison. 

The implication was clear. Nothing was going to happen. This Omega could control his needs in heat. He’d been practiced. 

Jaehyun nodded slowly and seriously to acknowledge the statement. “Understood.” 

That seemed to do something. The Omega stuttered forward and grunted, visibly losing grip on reality as he scrunched his eyes shut. Jaehyun resisted the urge to move closer again. He knew what it would mean for an Omega to at least have an Alpha around during a heat. Even if not to mate, it could soften the symptoms and the pain – act as a sedative. And Jaehyun was bound to this. He couldn’t ignore the lure of the scent to harbour and covet and protect this Omega. But he could suppress the other instinct to rut and claim him. It helped that they’d never met before. They had no attachment upon which the heat could build. 

The Omega looked up at him again and Jaehyun could tell he had finally relinquished his remarkable show of control. “Please,” he breathed achingly. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he couldn’t find the words. “Please.” 

Jaehyun stepped forward now, trying to push through the drunkenness of the overwhelming scent to keep his wits about him. He knelt in front of the Omega, but was still careful not to touch him. He knew that would be the start of something more and he wanted to go over other things first. “I’m Jaehyun,” he said clearly. 

The Omega looked up at him, his face flushed and his eyes piercing and observant. Jaehyun almost flinched at the power of them, but he held firm. “Taeyong,” the Omega responded, his voice momentarily unclouded. 

Jaehyun nodded and reached out a hand, his nerves jittery and anxious. Taeyong didn’t hesitate. He grasped Jaehyun by the wrist tightly. As soon as they had made contact something in the air fixed around Jaehyun like a bullet. Taeyong exhaled shakily. He pushed past Jaehyun’s arm and forced himself closer. He nuzzled his face straight into the crook of his neck. He pressed his face against Jaehyun’s skin and inhaled deeply, as if trying to draw his Alpha musk into his bones. 

Jaehyun tensed as the Omega immediately relaxed against him, his sweet scent slowly consuming all the bitter twang of fear into the overwhelming bouquet of need and desire. 

Jaehyun’s own body was reacting too. He felt suddenly hot and tense. He stood with a grunt, supporting the Omega’s slight bodyweight as he did so, and tried not to think about the way the Omega wrapped his lithe arms around him to stay anchored on his neck – the most fragrant part of him. 

He began to walk them out of the storage room, Taeyong falling messily into step with him, while holding as close to his body as possible. 

“Have you eaten anything recently?” Jaehyun asked softly, his voice deep. 

The Omega shook his head. “Not for a few days.” 

Jaehyun nodded pragmatically. 

He gently pried the Omega from his side to quickly lock the warehouse door and then open his old car. 

Taeyong got in wordlessly, his teeth chattering in the cold. Jaehyun started the engine and put on the heater. 

The drive wasn’t far. Jaehyun and Mark lived in a small, dilapidated house on the edge of the town. It was cheap and falling apart, but it was all they needed. It was a base for them to invent their humanity. Mark went to school and Jaehyun went to work. Both of them continued their bizarre façade of normalcy. But Jaehyun had always liked that in that house, the wilderness always seemed to be on their doorstep. 

On the journey, Taeyong had curled into a tight ball on the passenger seat, his arms clamped around his legs. Jaehyun consciously tried to express as much of his scent as he could during the drive, and this seemed to put the Omega somewhat at ease for the moment. 

Jaehyun’s mind, however, was now preoccupied by the thought of Mark. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. 

Mark had Presented just weeks before they’d come to the town, two years before. The teenager had barely smelt another wolf that wasn’t Jaehyun since then. And Jaehyun was an _Alpha_. Mark had never even smelt a Beta after he’d Presented, and now the first interaction he was going to have with a non-Alpha since his own Presentation was with an _Omega in heat._

“I’m sorry if this gets messy,” Jaehyun breathed as they pulled into the long driveway. He was speaking to himself, he knew. Taeyong was either unconscious or so wrapped in his own heat that he might as well have been. 

Jaehyun was alight with nervousness and anxiety. It felt alien on his skin, but it didn’t surprise him. It was natural for an Alpha to be deeply unsettled by the heat of an Omega who wasn’t mated. He licked his lips, still not quite believing this was actually happening. He turned the car off and sat behind the wheel for a moment and listened to the old engine die down. 

He eyed the house suspiciously. He glanced to the analogue clock on the dashboard - always about 40 minutes from correct. It must have been close to 2:00am. On a school night. Mark should be asleep. 

Jaehyun inhaled one last time and lurched into action. With an Omega in heat coming into the house, Mark wouldn’t be asleep for long. 

He got out of the car and moved to the passenger side to help Taeyong climb out. The air was bitingly cold and Taeyong’s teeth were chattering as Jaehyun helped him walk up onto the small landing. 

The Omega moaned breathlessly as they stopped for Jaehyun to fumble with the key. “Tired.” he breathed. “Please.” 

Jaehyun’s coordination failed at the sound of the words. The Omega’s breath was toxic in the sweetest way. He clenched his jaw against it. He had to stay rational until this was settled. 

He unclicked the door and walked them in. Still supporting Taeyong with an arm across his back, he pushed the door shut with the sole of his heavy boot. It slammed with a loud thud, and he could almost hear Mark stir in the bedroom at the end of the hall. 

Wordlessly he walked Taeyong to his own bedroom, the Omega pliant in his arms. His body was weak and cold and Jaehyun knew he had to warm him up. 

This was all very haphazard, and with so many things to keep track of and plan in his own head, Jaehyun was blissfully distracted from the thick, molasses odour that Taeyong was spreading throughout their home. 

He stepped them into his room and clicked on the light. Taeyong immediately tensed at the overwhelming sensation of brightness. He groaned, _moaned,_ deeply and drunkenly. But as Jaehyun fought through the instincts the sounds aroused in him and gently eased him onto the bed, the Omega seemed to calm. 

Jaehyun was suddenly thankful that he hadn’t changed the sheets in a few weeks. His scent was thick through them. As he landed, Taeyong inhaled deeply against the bedding. His eyes shut as he immediately succumbed to the Alpha scent laced in his surroundings. 

Jaehyun breathed deeply, feeling sharply anxious as he looked at the Omega’s sleeping face under the light for the first time. 

He was _stunning_. His features were feline and ethereal - both feminine and masculine at once. 

What the fuck was he doing _here_? 

Knowing he may have only had a few minutes before Taeyong would wake again, Jaehyun walked straight back to the kitchen to get a jug of water and a loaf of bread – all that he could think of at 2am in the morning with the thick scent of heat making him feel claustrophobic and weightless at once. 

He quickly came back to his bedroom, grabbing a tea towel between his teeth on the way, and put the items on his bedside table. Taeyong had already shifted – his body heat must have spiked being surrounded by Jaehyun’s scent. He’d half stripped off his black jacket and his dark sweater had been pulled up over his stomach. He appeared to have felt Jaehyun enter the room though. He grunted, not seeming at all lucid, as Jaehyun stepped into the enclosed space. 

“P-Please.” He rolled on the bed until his face found the pillow. He sighed into it in relief as he found more of the Alpha scent there. “It hurts.” 

Jaehyun felt his chest twist in vicarious discomfort. To him, the idea of being so completely at the mercy of someone else was a powerfully terrifying thing. He couldn’t imagine the fear of being alone in a foreign place when a heat came on. Or thinking you’re alone safe from interruption and then being found by an unfamiliar Alpha in abandoned human territory. No one deserved this. 

But Jaehyun wasn’t immune. His face was flushed and his heartbeat hadn’t settled one ounce since the first hint of the scent he’d identified at the warehouse. His biology wanted to strip the Omega naked, hold him to the bed, scent him and bite him and knot him. 

But Jaehyun knew this was just his biology. With experience and resilience, he had learnt to separate it from himself. His head was telling him to protect this Omega. To keep him warm and fed and comfortable. That in itself was how the Alpha in him manifested and that was the side he would honour. 

He was about to move and shut the door behind him, but he heard Mark’s door open before he could. 

The teenager was behind him in barely a second. Jaehyun felt every ounce of his body tense as Mark’s youthful, aggressive scent bombarded the room like a freight train. Jaehyun, still facing the Omega curled in on the pillows in pain, could see the way the wolf flinched at the presence of the other Alpha – his youthful scent unrestrained and destructive. 

Jaehyun turned sharply towards the hallway and bristled at the look on Mark’s face. 

The teenager was drunk, completely overcome by the scent of heat. His eyes had clouded, his body was tense with anticipation. 

“Mark,” Jaehyun said deeply. 

The teenager didn’t even blink. He didn’t look at Jaehyun at all. His eyes were trained on the Omega and the Omega alone. “What’s happening?” He breathed, still without blinking. His usually playful voice was husky and focused. His chest - clothed only in a thin pajama shirt - was rising and falling rhythmically with shallow breaths. 

Jaehyun could feel Mark’s anticipation in the air, buzzing painfully in contrast with Taeyong’s sweet scent. “This is Taeyong,” he said deeply, carefully. He kept his tone as even as he could in the face of Mark’s escalation. “Taeyong is an Omega and he’s in heat.” 

The words didn’t seem to reach Mark. The teen licked his lips hungrily and he took a heavy step closer.

Jaehyun moved in front of him as soon as he’d begun to shift his weight. He purposely filled Mark’s field of vision; his eyes leaden. Unconsciously he crossed his arms against his chest, the edge of a growl shaping his stance with dominance. 

He knew that Mark was an Alpha who had never needed breaking. Without any other wolves around, extra distractions or demands, the dynamic of the two Alphas, one older and one younger, had progressed without incident or fanfare. But in the real world, this was a sometimes-delicate thing. Jaehyun suddenly wished he’d prepared better for the moment he would need to assert his dominance in their relationship. 

But he couldn’t blame Mark for how he was reacting. An Alpha who had never smelt a heat was a risk at the best of times... and Mark had no experience, no knowledge, and Taeyong was goddamn _irresistible._

_“Step back_.” Jaehyun said deeply. 

Mark faltered, his eyes finally flicking up to Jaehyun’s own. But as he did, Taeyong let out a quiet breath of discomfort that sounded tantalizingly like a moan and tasted of fresh fruit and sugar. The sound immediately drew Mark’s attention away from Jaehyun and back to the stranger in his bed. 

He stepped forward again, but Jaehyun moved in his way once more. His speed unforgiving. 

Mark was drunk on the scent. Jaehyun hadn’t expected it to get this far – for Mark to respond so strongly. Mark’s Alpha instinct lurched to the surface; a growl rumbled deep in his adolescent chest. He bared his teeth at Jaehyun – the ultimate disrespect – and he lowered into an aggressive stance. He was ready to claim this Omega or die trying. 

Unable to do anything else, Jaehyun immediately met the challenge. Unflinchingly and completely without inhibition, he growled low and deep. The sound was much more oppressive than Mark’s had been. He bared his teeth and let his scent surround Mark, the thick, Earthy boquet sharp and aggressive in contrast to the Omega’s sweet warmth. 

He was effectively claiming Taeyong as his own in the face of Mark’s ridiculous and largely unconscious play for superiority. He stared the teenager down, painfully aware that this was the only way in the next five seconds he was going to stop Mark doing something really stupid in the haze of Taeyong’s glorious smell and his own ignorance and naivety. 

When Jaehyun spoke, he let his dominance speak through him like he had very rarely ever done before. His voice was layered and deep, rumbling with a growl and backed by the force of his experience and poignant, claiming scent. “ _Step. Back._ ” 

Mark faltered, his eyes clearing and his scent receding almost instantly. “Jaehyun,” he breathed as he returned to himself. Confusion and hurt danced through his expression. He glanced back at the Omega behind Jaehyun’s shoulder and flinched as he struggled to retain what was happening. 

“ _Step. BACK._ ” Jaehyun said, the full force of himself behind his words once more. 

Mark moved backwards reflexively; his expression fearful. 

Jaehyun hated what he had done, but he had to be sure. He _had_ to be sure that Mark would listen. 

Mark stumbled back into the darkness and up the shadowed hall to seal himself in his room. Jaehyun didn’t care what he did, whether he spent the rest of the night – what was left of it – soaking up as much of Taeyong’s scent as he could get. But Jaehyun was confident now that as long as he was there, Mark wouldn’t be able to give into the reflex to get closer to Taeyong. This was something they’d have to talk about later. 

Jaehyun’s mind was fatigued beyond recognition, and had been pulled into utter disarray by the heat surrounding him. When he looked back at the bed, he saw Taeyong staring up at him from above reddened cheeks. The display of dominance had only heightened the wolf’s heat symptoms further. “Jaehyun,” he whispered quietly. It pulled at Jaehyun like a spell. “Please.” 

Jaehyun licked his lips. He closed the door to the room and then quietly settled himself on the edge of his bed. The Omega watched him with desire and need, but didn’t move from the pillow. Jaehyun carefully took the Omega’s jacket from underneath him. He licked his lips as he took off his own jumper and then his undershirt, until his chest was bare. 

He could feel Taeyong’s eyes on him, but he didn’t know if they were seeing anything. All the Omega seemed to be aware of was scent. 

Jaehyun kicked off his boots and climbed under the overlay with a grunt of effort. He tried not to breathe for a few moments as Taeyong moved closer to him, as if drawn by some divine intervention to close the distance. The Omega moaned gently as he settled himself against Jaehyun’s body, again breathing in the scent at the base of his neck, just above his collar-bone. The scent lulled Taeyong into some momentary peace. The suffocating tension of the wolf’s scent slowly settled into something akin to a sedative. It pulled Jaehyun down, folding him into sleep and weariness as Taeyong’s mind did the same. 

As Jaehyun drifted into unconsciousness like a sailor to the call of a siren, he felt something in him relax, a knot pulling undone. As he exhaled languidly, he dreamily perceived dark eyes looking down at him from above, dark hair against pale skin and a broad, intelligent smile. He imagined smelling the wolf he may never smell again, and ached for his warmth. As the Omega shifted more tightly against his chest, Jaehyun’s tired, scent-drunk mind imagined that this was the heat of the wolf for whom he longed. Lost in this fantasy, he mindlessly nestled his face into the Omega’s hair, imagining that it was another wolf’s dark strands caressing his skin underneath dappled, forest sunlight. 


	2. Chapter 2

# Chapter Two

Jaehyun dreamed vividly and wildly. More than dreams, the images and sensations cascading around him felt almost like hallucinations. But when his eyes opened and reality cracked through the haze of his scent-drunk slumber, he felt as though he had been unconscious for years. 

Jaehyun was restless and intensely warm. Taeyong’s scent was all around him - buzzing with desire and heat, distracting and sensual. 

He inhaled deeply to try and clear his head, but grunted in a slight daze as the action only brought more of the intoxicating smell into his body. Jaehyun realized then, with slight surprise, that he was wrapped around Taeyong. At some point in the night, the lithe wolf had shed his sweater and shirt. His bare back was pressed tightly against Jaehyun’s naked chest. His skin was searing hot. 

Jaehyun had clearly reciprocated the desire for contact during their slumber. He was curled over the Omega protectively, his knees pressing into the back of the wolf’s legs, his arm crossed over his slim chest to anchor him tightly against his own body. 

Jaehyun was surprised at the intimacy, but he was also overcome by it. As soon as he became cognizant of their unexpected proximity, the Omega’s captivating scent drove at him again – even more powerful now than it had been before. 

He reflexively tightened his hold on the Omega and felt a deep rumble of satisfaction move through his chest. Taeyong moaned softly in response, his breath turning uneven and shallow. 

Lost in the sound of Taeyong’s mindless reciprocation, Jaehyun pressed his body upon the wolf more firmly and lay his head down against Taeyong’s hot skin. The Omega’s scent was overwhelming and sensual and desperate. Unable to stop himself, Jaehyun opened his mouth to taste the skin at the edge of the Omega’s neck. He wanted to lick him and devour him and bite him. The heat in the room was calling for him to do it – beckoning him further, dragging him onward.

Jaehyun froze just before he made contact with the milky flesh. Momentary recognition of his own impulsivity jolted him into sudden hesitation.

Indecision tensed inside his mind. He clenched his eyes shut, his hand now taught and nervous against the wolf's chest. He was almost salivating with the warmth of the Omega’s skin so close. His nose was already brushing Taeyong’s neck as he hovered above him. But he refused to let himself move further.

The heat was peaking now. Jaehyun could sense it in the air. It was like electricity on his skin, pressure in his ears.

Shame burned in him at his weakness. How long had it been since he’d smelt an Omega? He was behaving like a pup that had just Presented - no self-control, no restraint.

“Fuck,” he moaned in a whisper. He bit his lip, the action sliding just the edge of his bottom lip against the wolf’s hot skin. 

Taeyong moaned at the contact. He had been roused from his slumber by Jaehyun’s tension, and the feeling of the Alpha’s mouth on him – however softly – was enough to pull him from rest completely. 

Jaehyun moved back far enough to look down at the Omega and swallowed with slight foreboding as Taeyong writhed awake in his hold. 

Jaehyun exhaled uneasily as their eyes met. What remnants of lucid rationality had been in Taeyong’s gaze in the darkness of the night was now drowned in the haze of the peak of his heat. He looked at Jaehyun from above flushed cheeks, but didn’t seem to see him at all. 

He grunted, unable to form words. His ethereal face pulled into an expression of pain and discomfort and longing. He reached forward and rolled over to curl onto Jaehyun again. He gripped tightly at the Alpha’s smooth shoulders and pushed him down onto his back. Wordlessly, only the sound of deep, panting breaths pulsing in the space between them, the Omega swung his leg over Jaehyun’s muscular body and buried himself against him, pressing his face into the Alpha’s neck once more. 

The proximity was driving Jaehyun mad. His heart was racing, his body was tense. The scent was everywhere – powerful and destructive in its sensual arousal. Each breath was a danger, each movement was an opportunity to lose himself. It took everything in him not to pin the Omega to the bed and claim him then and there. He forced himself into stillness for fear of what he might do. 

Taeyong’s tongue licked slowly across Jaehyun’s pulse as he pressed their chests together tightly. Jaehyun could feel the Omega’s body inflating with each rapturous breath, feel him thrumming with each heartbeat as his desire spread further. 

“J...” the Omega grunted, animalistic. Again, his lips parted against Jaehyun’s skin lasciviously. His tongue ran over the rise of his collarbone. “John..” 

“Fuck,” Jaehyun breathed as his own scent responded with ravenous abandon. His hands fisted in the sheets beside his body. He was losing his control. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” 

Where was his training? Had he lost so much of himself since he’d fled to this deserted planet? He had promised this Omega that he would protect him, and he had to stick to that. 

Yet _still_ he didn’t move. 

“Please,” Taeyong breathed, his voice laced with molasses and sweetness. He coiled around Jaehyun, his knees tightened against the Alpha’s hips. He licked his skin again, his fingers exploring the rise and fall of the Alpha's naked body, pressing against the muscles in his chest and arms. He shuddered and moaned. The space between their bodies had become terse with static energy. 

Jaehyun scrunched his eyes shut and shivered. He had to stop this. He had to stop it now, before more of himself slipped under the fearsome current of Taeyong’s heat. 

He winced as a loud, deep growl moved through him. It was barely intimidating, but it was achingly honest - desperate and pained and frustrated. 

It was enough. 

Taeyong tensed immediately in response to the confronting sound. His hands – previously so wanting and exploratory – sank down on the skin of Jaehyun’s biceps so hard that his fingernails almost left him bleeding. His slim body went rigid as he desperately held onto the last echoes of his consciousness and lucidity. When he spoke again, his voice rang with momentary clarity that shocked Jaehyun back to himself. 

“Leave,” Taeyong groaned, unable to articulate more than one syllable at a time. “Now.” He forced the word between his teeth. It was clear his body was demanding one thing – proximity and intimacy and domination and relief – while his words were asking for another. 

Jaehyun inhaled sharply and hung onto the verbal instruction like a candle in the dark – the only indication of the looming shadows that surrounded his clouded cognition. He steeled his nerve against the sharp pain of separation and quickly got out from under the covers in one ungraceful movement. Standing in cool air, he panted unsteadily and looked down at the Omega with worried eyes. 

The events of the morning fizzed painfully on his skin. He had scared even himself with his lack of control in the midst of Taeyong’s intoxicating scent. 

For a moment they just stared at each other. The eerie proximity of consequences unseen stared back. 

“I’ll be outside,” Jaehyun said weakly, his voice anything but confident, as he strode quickly towards the door. 

The Omega grunted in pain and curled against the blankets where Jaehyun had been. 

Jaehyun almost ran out of the room, his jeans uncomfortably tight against him, and shut the door with a heavy click. 

Safe in the clean air outside, he paused to breathe for a few moments. The cool air was crisply refreshing after the cacophony of scents that had nearly drowned him in the room – like walking outside from a den of smoke... 

As his mind returned, rationality bit at Jaehyun like poison. He clenched his fist and cleared his throat, vowing against himself to do better. 

Perhaps two years ago he could have withstood this with more grace and confidence. But with so much time gone since the last scent he’d encountered aside from Mark’s adolescent Alpha taggings, Jaehyun had been left vulnerable and susceptible to the power of a fully-fledged heat. He had been reckless to fall asleep with the Omega next to him, with his own mind wandering to memories he couldn’t reconcile, his subconscious selfishly using the relief of this innocent wolf’s scent for its own gain. 

He was lucky Taeyong seemed to have such strength of will and had done the hard work for him by forcing him away. 

He walked to the small kitchen and drank a few gulps of water straight from the tap, then stumbled over to the broken couch where he sat with a deep exhalation. He felt tired and drained from resisting the call of the scent. Fatigued to the bone. 

A minute later, maybe an hour, Jaehyun heard Mark’s bedroom door creak open. 

Jaehyun didn’t open his eyes to look. He stayed right where he was, inert on the old, cloth-covered lounge. His bare chest rose and fell with deep breaths. His jeans were uncomfortable and warm. His senses were still so heightened that he could tell exactly where the young Alpha was without looking. 

Mark walked quietly past Jaehyun and leant against the wall next to the old television set. Jaehyun could tell the kid was being careful to put forward only passive, patient movements. 

Slowly, Jaehyun opened his eyes. 

Mark’s face was flushed. Jaehyun could see that his breathing was uneven and his heartbeat was escalated. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, his entire aura breeding discomfort and anxiousness, self-consciousness and unease. 

“Are you alright?” Jaehyun asked after a moment, his voice husky from lack of use. 

Mark nodded slowly. His jaw was still clenched tightly. His body curled in a show of astute non-aggression. An Alpha making himself smaller was about as clear a sign of discomfort as you could get. 

Jaehyun may have been too hard on him, but he couldn’t take any risks. He still wouldn’t have entertained the thought of leaving Taeyong in the house alone with the younger Alpha. But Mark had always been respectful and intelligent. It probably wouldn’t have taken _that much_ to crack his cognition back into focus through the haze of the scent. 

“Sorry, about earlier.” Jaehyun breathed as he closed his eyes again. 

Everything in him was leaden. Every word was an expenditure. But he knew his duty wasn’t done. Once the peak of the heat had passed, the Omega would benefit from proximity once more. After the peak, the sedative effect of an Alpha could still help guide the pain away – channel it from the Omega’s coiled spring, trick the body into thinking it was getting some pale shadow of release. 

But what a risk. The success of such assistance depended on the willingness and the strength of both players in the equation to resist what was calling to them. 

But Jaehyun had been taught that the pain for an Omega in going through it alone was not worth thinking about. He had been taught and truly, deeply believed that no Alpha worth any respect would leave an Omega on their own with no alternative. 

However, that didn’t stop the fact that what they were doing was dangerous and incredibly taxing. 

“What’s happening?” Mark asked quietly. When Jaehyun opened his eyes again, he saw the younger wolf was watching the door to his bedroom fixatedly. 

“I’m sorry we haven’t spoken about this.” Jaehyun said deeply. “I never thought it would happen.” 

“I can’t think about anything. I feel like I can’t breathe.” Mark sounded almost fearful as he spoke on. His eyes never left the door to Jaehyun’s room, beyond which Taeyong was still radiating pheromones and distraction. 

“It’s just a heat.” Jaehyun said darkly. “But you’ve done well to resist it so far, it’s a hard thing to do.” Jaehyun knew Mark could see the fatigue on his own face. He made no move to disguise the effects his proximity to the Omega had had on him. “It’ll be over in a day or so. I think you should probably just go out into the forest until it’s done.” 

Mark’s eyes widened. “What?” 

“It’s not safe for the Omega with the two of us here. You’re a smart kid Mark, but if I get lost in this and you slip again, I won’t be able to protect him from you.” Jaehyun smirked and rubbed at his eyes wearily. “Just go and wank yourself off for a day – it'll do no harm.” 

Mark’s face flushed red, but he didn’t deny the likelihood of this. His eyes were deep with fatigue and lack of sleep. It was impossible to rest with this cacophony in the house. It was obvious to them both that this is exactly what he’d been doing for the past five hours. 

Mark tried to ignore this. 

“What’s happening?” he asked again. His ignorance shone without inhibition. But still, he kept his voice and stance eerily submissive before the senior Alpha. 

Jaehyun hated this new dynamic between them, and he hoped it would fade quickly. But right now, he was certainly thankful for it. It was one less thing to worry about. 

“If there’s no one else around – an unmated Omega can benefit from having an Alpha close by during a heat. It softens the blow.” 

“It’s hurting you though.” 

_Hurting_ wasn’t exactly the term Jaehyun would have leapt for. It was demanding, but beside the restless urge for release was a deep comfort that could only come from prolonged exposure to the scent of an Omega. Just without all the repression of urges and fear of giving into his most base, animalistic and violent instincts would have been nice. 

“Just because I’m out of practice, Mark.” Jaehyun closed his eyes again, languid. “We’re both so weak now.” 

Mark didn’t seem to know what to say to this. “Can I... help?” 

Jaehyun’s eyes opened sharply, the dark weight in them was unforgiving. “You need to leave.” He said, with a discernible edge to his tone. 

If Mark had dog-ears they would have swept back against his scalp. He looked away, as if even he hadn’t realised the soft push he’d exerted against Jaehyun’s clearly defined boundary. He bit his lip. 

“Once the heat is lifting, we’ll talk. I don’t have the energy for a conversation right now, and you don’t have the strength yet to stay in this house.” 

“A day?” 

“A day and a night.” 

“What about school?” Mark asked quietly. 

Jaehyun swallowed, almost in pain, as a waft of Taeyong’s scent settled over them. He saw Mark shudder at the invasion. “School doesn’t matter right now.” Jaehyun said – for the first time since they’d gotten to this place. “Don’t come back until tomorrow.” 

Mark turned towards the doorway. “A day and a night.” 

Jaehyun nodded and closed his eyes again as the teenager slipped out of the house. 

* * *

Jaehyun used the momentary reprieve to steel himself. He showered and ate and meditated. To avoid disturbing the wolf in his room, he went and got a fresh jumper from Mark’s closet to wear after he had bathed. He busied himself with organizing, tidying and reading. But distractions could only offer so much. He was acutely aware of what the Omega was doing at any given moment, as if their previous proximity had inexplicably attuned his attention to Taeyong’s very existence. 

The scent was still overwhelming too. Every now and again he would hear a groan of pain spread like mist from under the door – the sound a stark contrast to the endless sweetness of the suffocating scent that radiated from the room. 

The day passed slowly, but Jaehyun didn’t dare intrude. He was on-edge and felt more wolf-like than he had in years, but with the space, his mind also began to wander further. Still hazed by the scent of the heat, his thoughts flowed like a river to distant memories - of a past from which he and Mark had run and never truly escaped. Of dark eyes and soft fingers. Of a world that he had once called home. 

That night, a few hours after dark, Jaehyun felt the scent shift. Something in it had softened now, the sharp edges of sickly-sweet animalistic desire had become blunted by fatigue and restraint. 

The peak had been crossed. 

After some time, once the blind sounds of wanting and the intensity of the aroma had truly diminished, Jaehyun pulled up the sleeves of Mark’s jumper and returned to his bedroom door. 

He listened for a moment. Silence. 

He licked his lips and knocked twice; the sound sharp in the cloudy quiet. 

A dull groan was voiced from beyond. 

He opened the door just a crack and clenched his eyes shut as the wall of fragrance hit him. It was softer now, but still jarringly profound. 

After a moment of acclimatization, he stepped in and closed the door behind him. Taeyong was curled on the bed facing the opposite wall, shivering. His pants were loose around his hips, his bare torso was pale and tense. If he noticed Jaehyun’s presence, he didn’t show it. 

Jaehyun walked closer and saw goosebumps on the wolf’s spine. He sat on the edge of the bed, and watched as the shift in the mattress turned Taeyong’s attention towards him. 

The wolf’s eyes were sleepy and dark – lacking in life and energy. If anything, he looked traumatized from the pain that must have swept through him in the hours before. 

It was eerie – with the heat cycle progressing, the scent had also shifted. Where before it had been calling Jaehyun to claim and rut, now it was pleading with the Alpha to offer comfort and subdue, to protect and assuage. 

Jaehyun knew he needed to get Taeyong warm again. He slipped off his shoes and went to lie down beside the wolf as he had before, but Taeyong recoiled sharply as he got closer. Jaehyun hesitated, and belatedly realised that he was still wearing Mark’s jumper, which was imbued with the young Alpha’s scent. 

Jaehyun cleared his throat and took off the sweater in one fluid movement before edging closer again. This time, Taeyong moved towards him with a note of exhausted desperation in his graceful action. He shivered as their skin made contact and his lithe body instantly went pliant against him. 

Slowly, Jaehyun began to release his own scent so that it mixed with Taeyong’s and deepened the aura of safety in the air. If there were any other wolves in the area, Jaehyun would have hesitated to do this. He was essentially scenting the Omega with his own boquet – claiming him temporarily with evidence of their proximity through a deeply vulnerable and intimate time. But there were no others around to smell it on the wolf, and surrounding him so completely with his scent in this way would offer the Omega the greatest opportunity for relief. 

Indeed, Taeyong sighed at the sensation of the Alpha’s scent surrounding him again. He rolled his face across Jaehyun’s bare chest and made soft sounds of satisfaction as he dusted himself with the aroma of his skin. He pushed his body tightly against the Alpha in an effort to get as much scent from him as possible, as much skin on skin as he could. His beautiful features were still pulled into an expression of discomfort, but deep in the air between them, a numb stillness was settling. The sedative of the Soothing was now in full effect. 

Once Taeyong had nested himself tightly against Jaehyun’s chest and stilled against him, Jaehyun carefully pulled the blanket up over them again. He rubbed his hands gently and protectively over Taeyong’s back as the Omega melted against him. He waited patiently for the wolf’s body to fall inexorably into a light sleep before finally letting himself also succumb to the lullaby of sweet pheromones that surrounded them. 

He let his wakefulness recede into the depths of fatigue with relief. 

He was more relaxed in that moment than he had been in years. 

* * *

This time, Jaehyun awoke to a haze of calm scent around him. The sedative went both ways. In giving himself to the Omega as protection during his heat, Taeyong’s own relief felt vicariously exultant now in exchange. 

He grunted as wakefulness flickered behind his eyes, stirring him to consciousness. He felt the heat of Taeyong’s body beside him and instinctively moved towards it. 

When he opened his eyes, he saw Taeyong already looking at him. While the Omega’s face was still flushed and his body was still hot with heat, it was no longer a wolf that looked back, but a man. 

Jaehyun blinked self-consciously at the sensation of suddenly being seen. They were lying on their sides, facing each other. Jaehyun still had an arm slung loosely over Taeyong’s naked chest. Their faces were close. For a moment Taeyong’s watchful eyes were all Jaehyun could see. 

Taeyong looked away and licked his lips. “Good morning.” 

Jaehyun sniffed reflexively and regretted the action immediately. He was unable to hide how deeply satisfying Taeyong’s scent still felt. “Good morning.” He responded uneasily. 

“How long?” Taeyong’s voice was pragmatic but quiet. 

“Just a day,” he said huskily in response. Taeyong’s face was eerily beautiful in the natural light. 

Although it was now somewhat strange to be lying in bed with another shirtless guy he hadn't had a lucid conversation with until this moment, Jaehyun didn’t entertain the thought of moving. The heat was quieting, but it wasn’t gone, and the scent around him was still begging for him to stay. 

“You peaked soon after we got here.” He continued. 

The Omega nodded, his face flushed and his expression guarded. It was clear that nothing serious had happened between them. Their scents had mixed, but there was no permanence. Both of their bodies were unmarked, with the exception of a small row of nail imprints on Jaehyun’s bicep. 

Taeyong glanced at the small scratches and looked back at Jaehyun pointedly, the question clear in his crystal eyes. 

Jaehyun shook his head. “You were alone for the peak,” he said quietly. “I came back in once the pain had settled.” 

Taeyong nodded and bit at his thumbnail lightly. His fingers barely fit in the space between their faces. 

Jaehyun was unsure how to read the Omega now. He was more... reserved than he had expected him to be. 

Jaehyun went to move back a little, out of respect if nothing else, but the wolf quickly grabbed his shoulder to anchor him in place. Jaehyun’s Alpha instinct - fragile after the strain of the past few days – bristled lightly at the sudden, directive contact, and Taeyong faltered for a moment in response. He withdrew his hand as if he’d been reprimanded, but he was at least content in knowing the Alpha would stay close. 

“Sorry,” Jaehyun apologized for the flicker of instinctive backlash as he nestled back into his previous position. Taeyong shifted hesitantly closer against his chest as he kept speaking. “It’s been a while.” 

Taeyong closed his eyes. “It still hurts,” he murmured. “Just a little longer please.” His words, despite the breathy tone, were business-like. 

“As long as you need,” Jaehyun said honestly. “This is relaxing.” 

Taeyong inhaled slowly, drawing Jaehyun’s scent as far into himself as it would go, before gently releasing it back into the world. “It’s been forever since I’ve been Soothed through a heat by an Alpha.” 

Jaehyun, without thinking, raised his hand to push his fingers gently through the Omega’s hair. It was smooth and soft. Taeyong melted into the touch and breathed deeply again, and Jaehyun couldn’t help the flare of satisfaction that moved through him at seeing the Omega so responsive to his presence. It satisfied a deep urge inside him, and he was glad to have the space for mindless intimacies like this as they came out of the haze of pheromones together. 

“What’s your name?” the Omega breathed without opening his eyes. He was certainly present, but he was still under the influence of the heat – his cheeks were flushed and his breathing seemed dependent on Jaehyun’s proximity. “I can’t remember.” 

“Jaehyun,” he answered quietly. 

The Omega nodded in recognition, but Jaehyun couldn’t tell if he was faking the recall. “Right.” 

“Taeyong, yeah?” 

The Omega’s eyes opened for a moment, squinting against the brightness. He nodded once and closed his eyes again. “Thanks Jaehyun.” he murmured. “Just a bit longer.” 

“As long as you need.” Jaehyun reaffirmed. 

He swallowed as Taeyong shifted forward to press his forehead against the hollow at the base of his neck. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arm over the Omega’s body and closed his eyes too. Strangely, with the return of his lucidity, the position only felt more intimate. 

A million questions were forming in his mind, but he let them simmer in the background, forced down under the weight of his contentment. 

Sleep surrounded him like firelight. His body relaxed, and his mind slipped silently into rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to the little community of readers who have thrown kudos, subscribed, commented or bookmarked. It's such an honour to have your interest and I hope the fic doesn't disappoint!
> 
> I know they are pretty short chapters at the moment, so I'll catch you soon for another update :) 
> 
> Hope everyone has had a good week so far. 
> 
> ~ahnohn


	3. Chapter 3

# Chapter Three

It was mid-afternoon when Taeyong woke next. The remnants of the heat would linger for at least the next few days, but what had before been a conflagration of disorienting hallucinogens and animalistic ritual was now an enticing whisper; barely more than an undercurrent of warmth no Alpha wouldn’t notice but should definitely be able to resist. 

Because Jaehyun had been so close to Taeyong throughout the rise and fall of his cycle, he was acutely attuned to the remnants of heat that clung to him – but he was also soothed by Taeyong’s relief. The pain seemed to have diminished enough for basic thought and movement to be bearable. The scent was no longer as violently oppressive as it had been. 

Shortly after waking, they left the room together. 

Taeyong was weak and uneasy on his feet. It had been days since he’d had any food. Jaehyun helped him to the living area and sat him on the old couch with a gentle huff of effort. As he left him alone to get some water from the kitchen, Jaehyun noticed Taeyong’s reflexive spike of desire for his proximity. But despite his weakness and fatigue, Taeyong forced the clingy impulse down; the feat evidence of his strong foundation of experience and training. 

Jaehyun filled a glass with water and took it over to the wolf. Then he went back into his bedroom – the cozy space stinking of heat and pheromones – and pulled the thin overlay off the bed. 

He got back to Taeyong and offered the blanket gently. Taeyong glanced at him and took it slowly in both hands. It smelt strongly of them both. He blushed and held the blanket self-consciously. 

The ambience had changed since they had woken again. Taeyong was no longer drunk or unconscious in desire. His dignity had returned. Jaehyun was right to assume that the Omega was now lucid enough to want to avoid embracing an Alpha he didn’t know. But he wasn't so lucid that Jaehyun’s scent would fail to relax him. 

“Thanks.” Taeyong murmured as he brought the blanket to his face. He spread it over his naked chest and his mouth like a mask. He inhaled deeply for a single breath before settling the material around his neck. 

Jaehyun sat on the floor on the other side of the cheap coffee table. He wanted to give the Omega plenty of space. It was hard to ignore the way Taeyong’s scent was responding to the smell of the blanket though. Clearly both of them were still yearning for each other on some level. 

He looped his arms loosely around his drawn-up knees. His bare skin was still warm enough from Taeyong’s embrace to find the crisp air of the rest of the house refreshing. 

“How did you get here?” Jaehyun asked softly after Taeyong had taken another sip from the glass of water. 

Taeyong licked his lips and looked at Jaehyun carefully, shifting a little under the blanket. It was almost hard to believe they’d shared such intimacy and vulnerability with each other in the hours prior. 

“I was travelling through the Eastern Wilds,” he responded quietly, “between Elden and the central border.” 

Jaehyun swallowed, unsettled at hearing the familiar terms that had once been part of his own world. 

“I was with my...” Taeyong paused and seemed to choose his next words carefully. He picked at the edge of the blanket with his thumb. “I was with friends, but we got separated.” He looked around at the small room self-consciously for a moment. “My heat was coming on and I got disoriented.” 

Jaehyun licked his lips. 

“Where is this place?” 

Jaehyun ran his fingers through his hair. His body and his mind felt fragile in the wake of the stress that had been put upon him and Taeyong both. Every movement was careful, as if padded with cotton wool. 

Taeyong nestled himself further into the blanket, placating himself with the Alpha’s scent, as Jaehyun spoke on. “It’s Earth.” He said quietly. “We came here through a Portal a few years ago... thereabouts.” 

Taeyong’s eyes had widened; his skin seemed to go a shade lighter as he took this in. “You’re trapped here?” Panic rose around them, and Jaehyun winced at the sudden change in the scent. 

“Shit,” he breathed in slight pain as he leant forwards. Reflexively his own scent responded and filled the air. Taeyong’s face flushed with warmth again at the shift, instantly placated by the Alpha’s boquet surrounding him again. “No, sorry.” Jaehyun clarified gently, forcing the panic from his tone. “We... we’ve stayed on purpose. The Portal must still be active if you came through it.” 

Taeyong nodded, uneasy. “I need to get back.” 

“We’ll help you find it.” Jaehyun agreed without hesitation. He would have helped anyway, but his temporary attachment to the Omega was making it impossible to say no. “It’ll be fine.” 

Jaehyun was still jittery with the desire to offer this Omega whatever support he could. Neither wolf questioned the potentially naïve optimism of the statement. 

“Do you want anything to eat?” Jaehyun asked after a beat of silence. 

Taeyong was about to respond when the door to the house softly creaked open. 

Immediately Taeyong flinched at the unexpected company, and Jaehyun inhaled sharply at the unspoken call to protect him again. Clearly the vestiges of the Omega’s heat were still affecting them both. 

Jaehyun got to his feet as Mark stuck his head shyly through the open doorway. He looked from Jaehyun’s face and naked chest over to the Omega, curled up under Jaehyun’s blanket on the couch, and back again. He was utterly frozen, his adolescent face stuck in a look of reddened surprise and shame. 

Jaehyun licked his lips and curtly beckoned the young Alpha inside. 

Mark walked in like a puppy, shy and uneasy under the gaze of his elder Alpha and the guest who had so upended his life for the past two days. “Sorry, I thought you’d be... in there...” he murmured quietly as he glanced to Jaehyun’s open bedroom door. 

Mark was dressed in heavy winter gear, thick boots, heavy jeans, a fur-lined jacket with a beanie and gloves to match. His scent rushed forward in response to the Omega’s as he shut the door behind him – indicative of youth and a lack of restraint that wasn’t his fault, but that certainly would have seemed as much to Taeyong. 

Jaehyun swallowed, his mind too tired to deal with the overstep politely, and growled deeply at the young Alpha. 

Belatedly, Mark realized what had happened. The teenager licked his lips, his face red in the company of the two older wolves smelling so strongly of each other, and closed his eyes to focus on his own restraint. 

“S-Sorry,” he stumbled as his scent retreated, his eyes darted quickly between Jaehyun’s face and that of the handsome Omega. 

He was so pretty and so masculine at once, Mark’s mind stuttered as his eyes fell on his angular features again. 

“Taeyong, this is Mark – please forgive him. He’s young and inexperienced.” Jaehyun said. 

Taeyong nodded calmly at the teenager, taking strength from the surety in Jaehyun’s voice and scent. 

“Hi,” Mark said dryly. He cleared his throat uneasily and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You smell good,” he said, the admission clearly mindless despite the challenge from Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun was about to reprimand him again, but to both their surprise, Taeyong chuckled. The sound was deep and humored. 

Even with the positive response, Jaehyun let more of his scent leak into the space. He saw Mark recoil slightly from what he perceived as bitterness in the aroma, but it served its purpose. It was rude to cloud Taeyong’s mind with his pheromones again, but releasing his scent this way meant that there was less of the Omega in the air for the young Alpha to smell. 

Taeyong’s eyes connected with Jaehyun’s in soft acquiescence of the tactic, wordlessly forgiving him for the barrage and thanking him for the care. 

“Mark,” Jaehyun’s voice startled the teenager to attention. 

“Yes?” 

“Can you make some tea please?” 

“Sure,” he breathed. His eyes didn't leave Taeyong’s face once during the exchange. 

Taeyong watched as the teenager walked self-consciously past him into the kitchen. His thickly layered clothing was almost comedic in contrast with Jaehyun’s bare chest and flushed skin. 

Once he was gone, Taeyong looked to Jaehyun with humour in his expression. “He’s sweet.” He smiled and closed his eyes. He bent his head down into the blanket and inhaled again. 

Despite his fear, he felt safe. 

* * *

As the afternoon turned to night, Mark seemed to calm back to a thin facade of normalcy. Jaehyun could still read the tension in the young Alpha’s body, but he was proud of him. He’d responded well to Jaehyun’s aggressive assertion of dominance during the heat, and he’d shown how quickly he could learn to harness his own reflexes. It helped, too, that Taeyong was now able to control his own scent to a much greater extent than he had the previous day. 

Once Taeyong had eaten enough to feel some kind of energy in his body, they decided to try and look for his way back. 

“How long ago did you get separated from your friends?” Mark asked from the hallway as Jaehyun helped Taeyong to put on his boots in the bedroom. The teenager was respectfully staying clear of the space – where their scents remained strongest. Implicitly he had discerned that he should try to always stay further away from Taeyong than Jaehyun. 

“I don’t know...” Taeyong responded honestly as Jaehyun finished lacing one boot and moved onto the next. He was sitting on the bed, Jaehyun kneeling in front of him. Mark was standing like a coiled spring in the doorway. Taeyong had protested against the help, but he didn’t enjoy the thought of strapping his shoes himself, not when his head was still delicate with fatigue and pheromones. “I have no idea how long it was before Jaehyun found me.” 

“They must be worried.” Mark murmured. 

Jaehyun didn’t mind that Mark had taken an interest in the Omega’s story. But he was monitoring him closely. Jaehyun was intensely attuned to the fact that this was Mark’s first experience with an Omega. He couldn’t be too careful. Plus, until Taeyong’s heat was completely over – which likely wouldn’t be for a few days at least – he knew he would be irrationally protective. It was almost impossible to overcome this impulse after scenting another wolf so strongly during such a vulnerable time. 

“Yeah,” Taeyong’s voice was laced with something dark now. Real concern that made Jaehyun’s brow furrow in thought. “I need to get back.” 

Jaehyun finished lacing the boot and stood silently. “You ready?” he asked. 

Taeyong nodded and stood without assistance. Jaehyun didn’t touch him again, he hadn’t since they’d left the bedroom the first time. Any contact from an Alpha now would needlessly ignite the symptoms he had now suppressed. They were both careful. 

Mark stepped aside as Jaehyun led them out of the room. As Taeyong followed, there was just a moment in which Mark was closer to him than Jaehyun was. 

Instantly, Jaehyun’s eyes found Mark’s. He glared at the teenager with impatient reprimand. 

Mark swallowed wordlessly and looked away. 

“Don’t be so hard on him.” Taeyong said loud enough for both the Alphas to hear. Though no spoken words had passed between them, the spike in Mark’s barely controlled scent had been obvious and telling. “He’s doing well.” 

Jaehyun huffed a note of wry-laughter and looked from Taeyong to Mark. “I suppose he could be doing worse.” 

They walked out into the frosty night side-by-side. Jaehyun and Taeyong stayed in-step together, Mark a few extra paces to Jaehyun’s other side. 

“What’s it like where you came from?” Mark asked in the silence of the forest, endlessly curious. 

Taeyong inhaled deeply. He was enjoying the crisp, clean air after the stench of heat and Jaehyun. It was testament to the suppression of his heat that he enjoyed the change of pace. “It’s like this, really.” 

Mark scrunched his nose and walked on in silence for a few paces. “I’ve always wanted to go back.” 

Taeyong didn’t miss the way Jaehyun’s mood tightened at this comment. He was still keeping his scent active around them, a buffer for Mark against Taeyong’s own boquet that was safe to do only in a place so desolate from other wolves. But the byproduct of such openness was that his emotions were also largely transparent to the others. 

Mark swallowed and decided to change the subject. “Do you know where we’re going?” He asked Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun shook his head, but he was looking intently before them. “I don’t remember where we came through exactly.” He sniffed the air. “But if you went around the lake edge,” he spoke to Taeyong now, “it would make sense that the first building you found was the warehouse.” His voice was gentle, as if in respect to the quiet they disturbed. 

They walked down an old railway track to a small clearing where the night felt more opaque than before. Jaehyun left Taeyong’s side to look around, unsure if he was remembering the geography correctly. 

Taeyong crossed his arms over his chest as Jaehyun moved away. A jab of discomfort passed through him as the Alpha – who, for the past few days, had become his protector – disappeared from view. 

Darkness seemed to soak the air in the clearing. Even the moon had dimmed since they got to the secluded spot. The air felt sharp with pine and damp and the remnants of the day’s sunlight. Taeyong could smell the alien scent of the human bushland dissipate to the familiar scent of the Wilds of Elden, where he would roam with the others, formalities dropped and voices softened. 

It was so familiar. Eerily so. 

He was so focused on the shift that he almost didn’t realise that it was real. 

This _was_ Elden. 

Taeyong’s eyes widened. Relief and panic swelled in his chest at the same time – two juxtaposed emotions immediately fighting each other for superiority. He lurched forwards, the sound of a shout catching in his throat. 

But he was too late. 

He watched, helpless, as Johnny stepped out of the oil-paint blackness and slugged Jaehyun sharply with a leaden fist and the full weight of his 6-foot frame behind it. 

Jaehyun fell immediately back from the shadows, pain shuddering sharply through his body. He was completely disoriented. He grabbed at his own face and looked around in confusion, blinded by surprise and darkness alike. 

Everything was happening at once. As soon as he had watched Jaehyun fall by Johnny’s hand, Taeyong felt Mark lurch forward from beside him. The young Alpha was panicking, his scent sharp and fearful in the crisp air. Taeyong knew he had to act immediately. He stepped quickly closer and grabbed Mark by the forearm to wrench him backwards. 

He was counting on the teen being so disoriented by the contact that he’d falter into stillness. 

It worked a treat. As soon as Taeyong touched his arm, Mark stumbled back towards him – instantly overcome by helpless disorientation at skin-on-skin touch from the Omega with the last days of heat in his scent. 

But Taeyong didn’t falter. He stepped past Mark as soon as the impulse of aggression had cleared from the teenager’s body. Then he moved towards Johnny as quickly as he could. 

The tall Alpha was standing over Jaehyun’s figure like a predator, blind to everything else around him - including Taeyong. He growled long and deep, the sound deafening in Taeyong's ears. Beneath him, Jaehyun coughed in pain, blood spilling from his lip as he struggled to orient himself in the darkness. 

“Who are you!?” Johnny growled at Jaehyun. “Why are you here?” 

He grabbed the Alpha by the collar and hauled him up. Taeyong watched, his eyes wide and his breath short, as Johnny pulled Jaehyun close to him, sniffing along his clothes intently until he reached the skin of his neck. As soon as he got there, Johnny’s expression darkened – the shift visible like a flare in the night. His woody scent consumed the area, protective and angry. 

Taeyong’s smell was all over Jaehyun – it covered his skin and leaked from beneath his clothes, evidence of proximity and intimacy and suggestive of a whole lot more. 

Taeyong faltered as Johnny’s angry scent bombarded his senses. The remnants of his heat flared again at the smell of his Guard. Not only was this a different Alpha scent to the one by which he’d been surrounded for the past few days, it was the scent of someone he knew and trusted and... wanted... and... 

Taeyong grunted sharply in pain and lost his balance as the heat overwhelmed him again. He hit the forest floor with a thud of impact. Desire and frustration numbed his mind in an assault of sensation. Pain he’d repressed with Jaehyun’s help flared again in a rapturous second wave at Johnny’s smell. His chest tightened and his expression soured. Fatigue began to claim him like he was being submerged in water. This was _exactly_ what he’d wanted to avoid. 

Johnny’s eyes widened in sudden recognition of the company. 

He hadn’t even realized Taeyong was there – his scent had been hidden by the open broadcast of Jaehyun’s own. He turned to Taeyong in shock, sharp concern lacing his movements. Immediately he let Jaehyun go and joined the Omega. He knelt before him with relief and fear in his handsome face. He left Jaehyun behind him – discarded against the dirt as nothing more than a distraction from his complete attention to Taeyong. 

“Tae,” he breathed – informal and intimate. His concern clouded around them, palpable in the night. “Are you... were you in heat?” he asked this urgently, gentleness suddenly surrounding him, with a note of fear edging in. “We’ve been searching for you. I had no idea.” 

Taeyong looked up at Johnny with impatience in his eyes, but the Alpha’s familiar scent, so soaked in history and comfort, had removed him from himself. Relief flooded through him, but at every turn, frustration and anger burned holes in it.

How quickly had he been made utterly docile and weary by Johnny’s mere presence? He grit his teeth, refusing to bow to the reprieve. “Don’t look at me like that,” he grunted, but the sound was airy and submissive with the barely controlled impulse to fall into Johnny’s arms and rest.

Johnny didn’t touch him; he knew better than to touch him. But his brow furrowed as he recognized the smell that surrounded the Omega. His clothes were thick with it, it was caught in his hair, it was slick on his skin. Johnny’s jaw clenched shut as he looked back at the wolf he’d hit. The Alpha’s eyes were still wide as he watched their exchange in confusion.

Johnny held his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly to signal his position, the sound cacophonous in the darkness. “What did he do to you?” he asked seriously as he turned back to Taeyong.

Taeyong grunted sharply, the sound guttural and frustrated – impatient. He could feel Johnny’s scent coating his lungs with relaxation, but he was railing against the sleep that called to him. “ _Nothing,_ Johnny.” he said as his hands fisted. “He helped me through it.” 

As soon as he’d spoken, Taeyong knew the words had been the wrong choice, but Johnny was already acting on them. 

“Fuck, don’t...” Taeyong breathed, but it was too late. 

Johnny got up and moved quickly to Jaehyun. He grabbed him by the shirtfront and slugged him again. This time, when Jaehyun hit the ground, he was out cold. 

Taeyong grunted again, more loudly this time. He scrunched his eyes shut and rocked his weight forwards. He had to protect Jaehyun from wrath he didn’t deserve. “Fucks sake, Johnny, _listen_ to me!” 

Johnny looked at him sharply, his eyes clouded with purpose. He was Taeyong’s Guard, but he wasn’t about to waste time listening to him if he didn’t deem it important to do so. And Johnny was always like this. Underneath his friendliness and banter and humour and care, nothing trumped duty and Honour and the laws by which they were bound. _Nothing._

“What?” Johnny asked tersely, his voice impatient and edged with judgment. 

Taeyong closed his eyes and struggled to stay conscious. He was infuriated but desperate to make these words come out clearly. He didn’t have the energy to explain everything, but he had to speak. “There’s another one,” he said carefully, his mouth tense with discomfort at the sudden shift in dynamic. Still edging off heat and now having Johnny heightened wasn’t doing him wonders. “But he’s young. He doesn’t know anything. He had nothing to do with it.” 

Taeyong stopped speaking as he heard a sharp crack sound from the bracken behind him. 

He looked up to see Lucas grinning with Mark writhing uselessly in his strong arms. Lucas had his blade pressed against the wolf's neck, his arms pinning the young Alpha to him as he walked him forward into the dark clearing. 

“Jaehyun?” Mark called, unable to speak properly while pinned against Lucas’s body. “Jaehyun!” 

“This one?" Lucas asked deeply. As soon as he’d spoken, the weight of his voice made Mark go still, his eyes wide and panicked. 

“Perfect,” Johnny said deeply, his voice tired and angry. He winced and turned in belated alarm as Taeyong finally succumbed to his fatigue, his slim body lolling softly forwards into unconsciousness upon the damp, forest floor. Johnny watched the beautiful Omega’s face relax into rest with concern and slowly ran his tongue over his teeth. Protectiveness and affection surged through him so wildly it almost hurt.

“I’ll take Taeyong.” He spoke to Lucas. “Tie that one up and bring them both to camp.” 


	4. Chapter 4

# Chapter Four 

  
When Jaehyun awoke, the first thing to surround him was pain. His head ached and his neck jolted with discomfort as he tried to move. 

He opened his eyes and found himself in a small cell. Torchlight illuminated the stone ceiling and walls. Beneath his hands, dirt and straw made the cold, stone floor feel gritty. 

He coughed and inhaled sharply as he lifted himself unsteadily to sit upright. Behind him, he saw a screen of iron jail bars segregating him from a dark hallway beyond. 

He licked his lips, panic rising in him like bile. He knew the scent of this place – the scintillating quality to the air of this world. 

He was home. They’d been taken through. 

Then another thought. 

_Mark... what had happened to Mark?_

His mind stopped spiraling as a door that he couldn’t see unlocked loudly, the sound of the aged mechanism sharp and rustic in the echoey chamber. He breathed shallowly as he heard someone step inside, the thud of their boots the only judge of distance or time. 

It was cold and, from the way moonlight spilled onto the stone beyond the bars as the door had opened, it was still nighttime. 

Jaehyun shuffled away from the bars as the footsteps drew closer. 

A figure appeared in the hallway before him – tall and foreboding. 

Jaehyun was careful to keep his scent controlled. After so long not needing to worry about such things and after soothing an Omega out of a heat, this was more taxing than he would have liked to admit. 

He looked at the boots first, traced his sight up the long legs, narrow hips and broad shoulders, and then up to the face. 

He stared for a moment, his mind struggling to reconcile what he was seeing with what he was recognising. 

“Lucas?” he breathed, his head pounding with pain and confusion. 

The young wolf smiled broadly. A deep note of disbelief manifested as laughter in his chest. “Jaehyun?” he asked. His expression was one of handsome, welcoming mirth. His eyes danced. “What the fuck? It’s really you!?” 

Jaehyun inhaled unsteadily. “How... where am I?” he grunted. He moved closer to the bars and used them to anchor his weight to help him stand. He braced himself against the cold iron, his head pounding sharply with the exertion. 

“I thought I recognized you, but I wasn’t sure.” Lucas reached through the bars to slap Jaehyun on the shoulder. The impact was subtle but still enough to make him tense in pain. “Then that kid called you Jaehyun, and you looked so familiar. And here you are, man! I can’t believe it – it's been years.” 

Jaehyun nodded, feeling like glass on the verge of breaking, as Lucas retracted his hand from the cell. 

Lucas grabbed two of the iron bars and leant himself closer. He licked his lips and looked around them with some self-consciousness before bringing their faces close. “Hey, were you... did you... you and Taeyong?” 

Jaehyun’s brow furrowed. His head felt dazed and he still wasn’t completely sold on the idea that he wasn’t dreaming. Even though he’d always been a stocky teenager, Lucas was _much_ bigger now than he’d expected. “Taeyong?” he asked, recognition stirring slowly in him. “I found him on Earth. The heat had already started, I just Soothed him. He said there was no one else.” 

“Fuck, man.” Lucas murmured deeply. “Johnny is furious.” 

“Johnny?” 

“Yeah, the one that gave you that shiner.” Lucas motioned vaguely at Jaehyun’s face. 

Jaehyun touched his fingers to his brow and winced as pain shot through him. He swallowed and reoriented himself. “Is he...?” The implication hung in the air. “Are they bound? Taeyong told me there was no one. He didn’t have a bite.” 

Lucas shook his head sharply. “No, no no. Johnny's his Head Guard.” 

Jaehyun went to make a motion of surprise, but never quite got that far before pain flared behind his eyes and forced him to quiet his movements. “Head Guard?” He voiced with a grimace. “Taeyong has a Guard?” 

Lucas nodded. “Just a small one, but I’m part of it. That’s why I’m here.” 

Jaehyun exhaled unsteadily. Reality was becoming a scary place. “What’s going to happen to me now?” 

Lucas’s carefree attitude stilled with slight seriousness. “We’re taking you back to trial you.” 

Jaehyun gripped the bars more tightly, his chest aching with foreboding. “What?” His jaw closed and he spoke through clenched teeth. “Who the fuck is this guy?” 

Lucas nodded, as if glad Jaehyun was understanding the gravity of the situation. “He’s... a Noble... a Prince...” he offered unhelpfully. “Johnny can't let you go – we’ll be back in Elden City in two days, and your scent will still be on him then. And we need a culprit... it has to be explained.” 

Jaehyun groaned and closed his eyes against the bars. “Taeyong didn’t tell me.” 

“He was... in _heat_.” Lucas spoke the last word like a whisper. “What was he going to say?” 

Jaehyun shook his head, then cursed as the action pressed his fresh bruise against one of the bars. The contact sparked another wave of pain. 

“I’ll look out for you, man.” Lucas said, his voice shifting a little lighter, as if to say that it was all going to be fine. Again, he smiled somewhat devilishly, but his tone was sincere. “They’re good guys here. Johnny’s protective of Taeyong – we all are. He’s an icy idiot sometimes, but he’s alright.” 

Jaehyun looked at him blankly for a moment. He licked his lips. “How much do they... know? About you?” 

Lucas looked down. “They know I was South... but not exactly where.” 

Lucas, for once, didn’t smile. He shrugged and pat the iron bars between them a few times. The weight of their past, only briefly shared but marked by violence, was suffocating when they gave it leave to fill the space. 

“You seriously need to catch me up on what happened to you.” Lucas spoke on. “How the fuck did you end up on Earth?” 

Jaehyun closed his eyes. “That’s a long story.” He looked at Lucas with some affable affection. “How did you become part of some Elden noble’s Guard?” 

Lucas smirked and nodded. These large questions were better suited for more space and time. He was worried Johnny would be waiting for him. 

“I better go.” Lucas spoke like he was clearing away cobwebs with his voice. “Don’t worry. Taeyong is a good person. He’ll tell the truth. Once we get back to Elden, they’ll listen to his account.” 

Jaehyun nodded, trying to take in as much as he could. There were too many competing pieces of information being given at once. But he needed to know one more thing – there was only one priority left now. 

Before Lucas could pull away, Jaehyun moved his hand through the bars to grab at the soldier’s sleeve. “Lucas,” he said seriously. 

Lucas halted politely and moved back towards him at the contact. Jaehyun let him go as he came back into view. “I had someone with me – a young one. Is he... was he taken too?” Jaehyun didn’t know what outcome he was more afraid of, that Mark was left alone on Earth or that he had been taken with them here. 

Lucas smiled broadly again. “Oh!” He rocked his weight back and pulled himself forward from the bars. “I caught him – he’s fine. Well...” Lucas chuckled guiltily, “he’ll be locked in the stables by now, but he hasn’t been knocked around or anything.” 

Jaehyun exhaled. Relief flooded him. He tapped the bars, desperate to keep Lucas’s attention for another moment. “Just please, look out for him. He’s young. He only Presented right before we’d gone to Earth – don’t let him near an Omega. Please. Not until I can get him used to it.” 

Lucas’s expression faltered and then flickered into a juvenile display of entertainment and knowing. “Oh, shit,” he breathed, hesitant laughter bubbling deep from his belly. “Our Omega is with him now.” 

Jaehyun’s head clouded with concern and confusion. “You have an Omega in your Guard?” He asked, incredulous despite his fatigue. 

“I know – it’s weird, but the kid's good.” Lucas shrugged nonchalantly and released his hold on the bars. “Don’t worry,” he assuaged, “He knows what he’s doing. He’ll be fine.” 

“It’s not the Omega I’m worried about.” 

Lucas frowned a little. “How did you pick up the kid?” 

Jaehyun swallowed, fatigue pulling at him. “That’s another long story.” 

* * *

Taeyong heard Johnny enter the room. He knew it was Johnny because he knew the way the Alpha’s footsteps sounded. He could feel him coming from miles away. 

He sighed, a tinge of pain still in his gut, and grunted into the bedding around him. He could always tell when Johnny was coming – he had almost been able to feel his presence ever since they were children. And in that moment, there was nothing Taeyong wanted to avoid more. He was angry at Johnny’s possessive, aggressive response to Jaehyun in the forest. He was angry at himself for leaving their camp in the first place. And he was angry that seeing Johnny right now would only make his heat flare again, even when neither of them could do anything about it. 

The door creaked open. Torchlight spilled into the room. Taeyong was lying on his side, facing the opposite wall. He looked at the silhouette of his Head Guard appear on the aged wood in front of him, but didn’t move to acknowledge the company. 

“Are you okay?” Johnny asked, knowing Taeyong was no longer asleep. 

Taeyong shifted, but didn’t roll over. His body was tired and his mind was tingling with discomfort. “I’m fine,” He offered curtly. 

Johnny nodded and glanced behind him at the open door. 

“What do you want, Johnny?” Taeyong breathed, impatient in the silence. 

Johnny looked down self-consciously at the emotion in the Omega’s words. 

“Checking that my value is still intact?” Taeyong pressed. He chuckled darkly. He shut his eyes, but he could still feel Johnny’s shadow on the wall before him. “I thought that was my aunt’s job.” 

Johnny’s hand tightened into a fist against the cloth of his jacket. He cleared his throat. “I think you’re tired and that I shouldn’t have come.” 

“Why did you come?” 

Johnny shook his head, letting something go, and stepped forward one graceful pace. His shadow shifted on the wall. “I was really worried, Tae.” He spoke quietly, as if this was something to be ashamed of. “I wanted to know you’re alright.” 

Taeyong breathed softly in the silence. Johnny’s scent was tightly controlled, as always, but in the tail-end of his heat, Taeyong was hyper-sensitive. He could perceive Johnny’s passive scent edging into the room as he moved closer. The silhouette moved slowly, abstract in proximity. Taeyong startled minutely as Johnny’s fingers made contact with the warm skin of his neck, brushing the smooth flesh behind his ear. 

Taeyong swallowed softly as he felt his face flush. The buzzing white noise of discomfort inside him settled into a still silence, like relaxing a muscle he hadn’t realized had been tensed. He inhaled slowly and closed his eyes, focusing his attention on the feeling of Johnny’s skin, on the warmth the Alpha had brought into the room, on the familiar, comforting pheromones he had inadvertently brought with him. 

Slowly, Taeyong rolled onto his back. As he did so, the movement edged Johnny’s fingers from the back of his neck to the warm edge of his sharp jaw. 

They looked at each other for a moment. 

Taeyong’s face was flushed, his breathing slightly quickened and his body still thrumming with want, but his eyes were serious and observant. Johnny lost himself in them, drawn inexplicably forward. History and friendship danced around them. Johnny felt memory move through him: Taeyong’s smile in sunlight, his body in relaxation, a life aside from duty and Honour and the expectations that he felt so deeply and that Taeyong seemed to endlessly rail against. 

For a moment, something in Taeyong’s eyes seemed to go soft – honest and needy and sad. 

Johnny clenched his jaw and then slowly moved his hand away. He blinked the image of Taeyong’s stare from his mind and looked around the room as if to pretend they had never touched. 

He couldn’t do this. Not now, not ever again. 

Taeyong had no such patience. 

When Johnny finally glanced back to Taeyong’s eyes, he recoiled at the frank iciness of his stare. Whatever affections had been momentarily harboured there had been numbed instantly in response to his retraction. 

“What do you want?” Taeyong asked, his voice thin and judging at the distance that Johnny had placed between them. “Do you want me to say that I wish it hadn’t happened? That I wish I’d been here? Because I’d be lying.” He kept Johnny’s stare without moving. “It felt so fucking good to be touched by someone again – to be held by someone through the pain of a heat.” 

Johnny’s expression faltered. His jaw clenched. He knew he was responding exactly how Taeyong wanted him to, but he couldn’t help but give into the jealousy the words roused in his blood. “What did he do with you, Tae?” 

Taeyong sat up sharply. As his eyes met Johnny’s again, he was elated to see the Alpha flinch back. “You have no idea what it feels like to be in heat and completely _alone,_ ” he spoke with searing emotion and judgement in his voice. “That Alpha was the one thing that kept me sane and _I_ was the one that made sure he kept his distance at the right time.” He stared into Johnny’s eyes and smiled without mirth or humour as his oldest friend’s Alpha instinct bit minutely back. “When will you realize I have a say in this too?” 

Johnny looked away, frustrated by his own instinctive response to the tone in Taeyong’s voice. 

When Taeyong spoke again, his voice was more serious. Less acidic and more factual. Obediently, he gave into answering the question Johnny had been obliged to ask – to clarify if he had been tarnished by claim from the Alphas on Earth. His dignity stripped away as he was reduced to his rudimentary value. “I _know_ that nothing happened.” His words were lethargic. “He scented me before and after the peak, to ease the pain. That’s it.” 

“That’s still against Custom.” Johnny’s voice was deep. 

Taeyong exhaled and rolled over again to face the wall. He could feel Johnny’s gaze on him, but it only made him angrier. Johnny had become a reminder of all the things he wanted yet couldn’t have. “Fuck off with your rules, Johnny.” He murmured; his chest tight. He sounded broken. 

“They are unaffiliated Alphas and we found them in forbidden territory. And they _scented_ you.” 

“ _One_ scented me. _Consensually_.” 

“I had to arrest them.” Johnny’s voice was tinged with desperation now. Defensiveness had vanished into blind justification. As if he needed Taeyong to appreciate the pressure he was under to do this. That it wasn’t personal, that it was separate from his own lack of control in the forest. That it was separate from his own jealousy. 

Taeyong didn’t respond. 

“When you’re clear, can we talk?” 

Taeyong exhaled. “All we ever do is talk.” 

* * *

Haechan was a young wolf, but he wasn’t naive. Life had tested him and he had come out stronger for it. 

The day of Haechan’s Presentation had been the worst day of his life. It was the day he lost a version of his future he had always believed to be inevitable – a future of independence and strength. 

But after that day, when he Presented as an Omega, something happened that he could never have predicted. The right people, at the right time, decided to support him. Since his Presentation, all of one year ago, Haechan had decided that he owed these men, these older brothers, a great debt of gratitude. They accommodated him, often at the expense of their own comfort, and in return he promised himself he would always be useful to them. 

His Presentation, initially such a curse upon his life, had been carefully harnessed into a weapon he could wield against those who underestimated him for it. 

He made it dangerous, because if he didn’t, it would consume him. 

Haechan had been sitting by the fire when he heard Lucas and Johnny return from their most recent search for Taeyong in the dark forest. Johnny had Taeyong on his back. The Omega was deep in sleep. Around him, the last echoes of a heat buzzed in the air – the twang to his scent was sweet and unmistakable. 

Haechan stood immediately, his body tensing in sharp concern. But Johnny shook his head in a silent signal to keep him away. Rather than come any closer, he walked straight onwards and carried Taeyong to the small cabin. Haechan didn’t miss the way Johnny’s face was slightly reddened with exposure to the scent of the heat – sweet and yearning even in its last breath. No Alpha, especially one so familiar with Taeyong, was immune to it. 

Haechan had been about to ask questions: how had they been unable to find Taeyong for days to have him suddenly show up right at their doorstep? How had he gotten through a heat so quickly when he was alone? Why couldn’t Johnny or Lucas have smelt him out earlier? 

But then Lucas walked out of the forest. 

He also had a body hanging over his back, but this was the figure of a complete stranger. The Alpha reeked of Taeyong, and Haechan’s heart beat faster for all the subsequent implications that this carried. He rushed closer to inspect the face lulling against Lucas’s shoulder, but got another surprise when Lucas shook his head and smiled at him with a cunning grin. 

“Don’t worry about this guy,” he motioned vaguely with his head to the handsome, probably concussed Alpha unconscious on his back. “Here’s one I got special for you,” he chuckled, the sound deep and amused. He carefully edged his hand out from under the stranger’s leg to pass Haechan a thick rope. 

Haechan frowned, licking his lips in hesitation, until he saw what the rope led to. Behind Lucas, stepping out of the thick darkness like a rabbit caught in shock, was one of the most handsome, young Alphas Haechan had ever seen. His dark eyes were wide in confusion, his wrists bound by the rope Haechan was now holding. When the young Alpha blinked up to look at his face with a dazed expression on his handsome features, he stopped walking in surprised stillness, as if he honestly had no idea what to say or do. 

“Think you can handle him?” Lucas asked sarcastically as he looked back at the kid. He laughed dryly at the sheer confusion and fear that stained the young Alpha’s expression. 

“Take him to the room in the stable.” Lucas instructed Haechan patiently as he continued towards the cell on the other side of the dilapidated cabin. "I’ll take this guy." 

Again, Haechan wanted to ask questions, but the young Alpha shifting behind him diverted his attention before he could. 

Haechan tightened his grip on the rope that bound the teen and looked back at him. 

“Please,” the small Alpha spoke imploringly. Haechan could hear how carefully the wolf kept his voice clear of any aggression or manipulation. “Is he alright? Where are you taking him?” 

Lucas went to respond, but Haechan decided it was time he do some work too. And something told him that this boy’s Alpha instincts weren’t all that dangerous or sharp. 

“Hey,” he looked at the teenager and smiled sweetly, letting his pheromones loose just enough to give a hint of softness to the crisp air around them. He hoped this would make the teenager amenable and distract him from his confusion and distress. 

Lucas choked in disbelieving laughter at the tactic and continued away, effectively leaving the two younger wolves alone. This idea of Haechan’s was _not_ something Johnny would have approved of. But he knew Taeyong wouldn’t mind hearing about it. 

“He’ll be fine,” Haechan spoke on without so much as glancing in Lucas’s direction as the tall wolf disappeared into the darkness. He could feel that Lucas was just as amused as he was surprised by his tactics. “It’s just for tonight. Are you okay?” 

The Alpha stared at Haechan blankly, his fingers restless where his hands were clasped together. Haechan’s scent wafted subtly in the gentle breeze. It was barely perceptable at all; little more than a whisper of sweetness compared to Taeyong’s deep pheromones when he’d been carried through the site. But it was apparently more than enough. The Alpha’s face had gone several shades darker. His eyes were completely avoidant. When he glanced up at Haechan, he seemed even more scared than before, but also deeply captivated. “You...” he murmured weakly, unable to hold his gaze, “you’re an Omega?” 

Haechan frowned. He rolled his shoulders back, unsure what to make of the comment. Was the kid really that daft, or was he trying to manipulate him somehow? 

“Come on,” he directed. 

He took the Alpha through the dilapidated stable and into a small room around the corner of the entrance. The air was cool in the cozy space, but not icy. It was a wooden room, with no imposing bars or stone, just a lockable door. A small cot bed was at one side, and an old candle sat upon a small desk at the other; left behind by previous travelers that had used the abandoned site before them. “I’ll light that for you later if you want.” Haechan said as the door creaked shut behind him. 

He watched the Alpha look around the small space, clearly disoriented. 

“Here,” Haechan said with a dry laugh. Something about this guy was captivatingly amusing. He stepped further into the room and saw the Alpha wince away from him. With the two of them together it felt suddenly like a much smaller area. “Let me undo this.” He said patiently. 

Slowly, the Alpha relaxed his gait enough for Haechan to begin pulling at the binding. 

The atmosphere was tense and quiet. It took Haechan a moment to realize the teenager wasn’t even breathing. 

“Are you okay?” He asked again, a brow raising in disbelief as he began unlooping the thick rope from the wolf’s wrists. He studied the Alpha’s handsome face and decided he was more strange than cunning. “You don’t talk much.” 

The Alpha licked his lips, his eyes focused on the Omega’s hands so close to his own. “I don’t... I you’re an Omega...” he said again, his voice husky. “I don’t want to do the wrong thing.” He admitted honestly, almost fearfully. His masculine voice was barely more than a whisper. 

Haechan frowned. He felt oddly protective of the bizarre Alpha. In his mind, he was trying to appraise if this could possibly be real. Yet the wolf’s eyes were so sincere. Haechan felt like he could read him like a book. He reminded him of all those young, newly Presented recruits who would stare at him in his uniform like he was something delicious and intoxicating. 

Yet he was also different from that. Something about him... 

“You don’t need to worry.” Haechan pulled the last loop from the Alpha’s skin and gently rubbed some dirt away from his pale wrists. The Alpha tensed and heat flooded his face as Haechan’s fingertips brushed against his bare skin. “I’ll stop you if you do anything stupid.” He let the wolf’s hands fall. 

The Alpha nodded, but it wasn’t clear if he’d heard anything. As Haechan began rolling the rope into a neat loop around his hand, the Alpha pressed his fingers against his own wrists to soothe the roughness the binding had left behind. His fingers fixed on the spots Haechan had brushed against him, as if the heat he’d left behind had burned. His expression was tense and complex. 

“What’s your name?” Haechan pressed gently as the Alpha inhaled in a slow, shallow breath. He looked focused, like every ounce of his energy was being taken to regulate himself. 

Politely, his previous gusto fading, Haechan made sure his scent was completely sealed away in consideration for the Alpha’s potentially fragile control. What had before felt playful now felt mean. He really didn’t seem to know what to do. 

The Alpha’s gaze shifted from middle-space like an animal waking. “Mark,” he answered. 

Haechan appraised him for a moment. This guy was very strange – awkward and scared. But there was something enchanting about him too. Something sweet and captivating. Haechan wasn’t sure what to make of it. 

Above all, the oddity left no doubt in his mind that the kid was incapable of having done any harm to Taeyong. It just... there was no way. “Well, welcome Mark,” he said as he stepped towards the door. 

“Is Jaehyun – is he okay?” 

“Who?” 

“The-” 

“Oh, the other guy,” Haechan waved the concern away, but internally he wasn’t so sure. Johnny had looked pissed, and Taeyong’s scent had been _everywhere_. Honestly this _Jaehyun_ would be lucky to be conscious. “... yeah. He’s fine.” He said unconvincingly. 

The Alpha’s brow furrowed. “How do you-” 

“It’s going to be fine.” Haechan interrupted him placatingly. He took another step back and put his hand on the doorknob. “Just wait here and we’ll get you in the morning, alright?” 

Haechan went to open the door, but startled as the Alpha moved suddenly to stop him. Before Haechan had so much as blinked, Mark had crossed the room and grabbed his wrist. Haechan flinched quickly away but couldn’t escape the hold. His stance moved reflexively down into something defensive and powerful. His free hand reached for his knife, buckled under his thick jacket, and his eyes set firm and watchful. 

But then he realised that the Alpha’s hand was gentle against his skin. Mark’s breathing was quick and shallow, his body tense with surprise at his own speed and agility. As he looked at Haechan, the Omega saw nothing but confused pleading in his gaze. 

Belatedly, Haechan realised that it wasn’t aggression Mark presented, but solitude he feared. 

“Please,” Mark murmured. A sub-conscious edge of Alpha scent permeated the air around them. Haechan could feel that it wasn’t intentional. But _damn_ it smelt good. “Where are we?” His eyes were focused with enchanting fixation and concern. 

Haechan needed to halt the flourish of warm arousal that had begun to wind through his chest at the aroma. He frowned and wrenched his wrist free in defiance of the flickering scent surrounding him. 

Mark stumbled back a step at the sudden movement. Clearly he hadn’t even realised what he was doing. 

Haechan cleared his throat, hoping no warmth had been brought to his cheeks with the smooth muskiness of the Alpha’s smell. He didn’t seem to be intending to scent him. He didn’t seem to be intending to do _anything_. He seemed only lost and helpless. 

But intention could only account for so much. The whisper of scent was intoxicating. It made Haechan’s heart thump loudly in his chest. He could feel his blood rising to the pheromones the young Alpha had unwittingly released into the small room. 

“We’re in Elden,” he explained tersely. He appraised the teenager with a clenched jaw. They were almost the same height, of similar build, but the Alpha was more angular. More handsome and masculine. 

He turned to the door again and felt the Alpha tense once more. His scent again began to fester into the room, edged with fear and tinged with an odd note of acute interest that made Haechan’s head swim. He didn’t appreciate now being the one trying to fight off the effects of pheromones. 

“Control yourself, you puppy.” Haechan said darkly from the doorway. “No one’s going to leave you here." 

Mark nodded to nothing as the door shut and latched firmly, sealing him alone in the space. 

He took a deep breath and then coughed as just the slightest hint of what remained of the Omega’s scent coiled in his throat. His body shuddered and his head swam with the realization that he had just had his second ever encounter with an Omega. Just when he hadn’t thought anything could smell better than Taeyong. 

In that moment, staring into the darkness, feeling the alien scent of this world crawl over his skin, listening to the beautiful Omega’s footsteps move slowly further away, Mark honestly felt that without Jaehyun, he was completely lost. 

* * *

That night, a few hours later as Haechan settled beside the campfire to rest, he glanced about himself self-consciously. 

In the time since he’d left Mark in the small stable-room, Haechan had been intensely attuned to where Mark's scent lingered against his wrist from where the Alpha had grabbed him. He had found himself trying to keep the material of his jacket from brushing the spot, preserving it like a chalk drawing. 

With the cold, night air surrounding him on one side and the warm comfort of the fire embracing him on the other, Haechan felt numbing fatigue settle on his mind. Safe in lowered inhibition of weariness and on the gentle cusp of sleep, he finally allowed himself to attend to the one thought that had threaded consistently through his mind in the hours since his contact with the strange, handsome Alpha. 

Once he was sure none of the others were around, Haechan self-consciously brought his wrist up to his nose and inhaled deeply. His body clenched at the sensation. His throat tightened and his breath twisted. The scent of the young Alpha was barely there any longer – but it was enough to let Haechan remember the wafting mist that had enveloped him for just a moment in the Alpha’s confused panic. 

It was unlike anything he had smelt before. It was bright and clear and soothing like calm water. It filled his chest and loosened his thoughts. His muscles relaxed and his pupils dilated. 

It only lasted a moment, and then reality settled back upon him. 

Haechan quietly cleared his throat and bit his bottom lip in self-conscious shame. He felt childish and so much like an Omega. 

He took a deep breath of fresh air and wiped his jacket cuff heavily against the pale skin of his wrist. He dulled the scent, stamped it out, buried it under his own natural odour. He told himself it held no influence upon him, that it never had, and applied himself to not thinking about the scared, enchanted look in that Alpha’s eyes when he’d reached out to try and stop him leaving. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the feedback guys. After so long sitting on a draft, it's awesome and surreal to know that some other people are reading this fic! 
> 
> Sorry if it's a bit plotty at the moment. I'll try and publish a few more chapters soon so we can move things along :) 
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe,  
> ~ahnohn


	5. Chapter 5

# Chapter Five

Jaehyun awoke with a jolt of shock as he heard the door sharply unlock. Before his eyes could adjust to the bright sunlight that cascaded into the shadowed hallway, he recognized Lucas’s handsome, friendly face appear before him. The Alpha was flushed with activity. His body was tense with alertness edged with slight, playful panic. 

Jaehyun went to ask about Mark, but Lucas spoke first. 

“Here we go. Stay calm. He won’t bite...” Lucas looked away and then quickly back at Jaehyun with humour alight in his gaze. “I mean,” he glanced to Jaehyun’s bruises with a chuckle of indignation, “again.” 

Jaehyun wasn’t in the mood for Lucas’s antics. But as Lucas left his field of vision and moved back down the doorway – out of sight – Jaehyun rocked himself unsteadily to his feet and dusted down what he could from his clothes in preparation for whatever was to come. 

The next person to step into his line-of-sight was Johnny. The tall, broad Alpha wasn’t larger than Lucas, but he was clearly older and much more imposing. His dark eyes stared out from a handsome, masculine face. “Morning,” he said tersely. His voice was more subdued than Jaehyun had expected it to be. 

Jaehyun cleared his throat and stood straight so that they were close to the same height. “Good morning.” He didn’t offer any resistance, any edge of dominance... and so neither did Johnny. Although the glaring Alpha left plenty of time to make Jaehyun aware that this was exactly what he was testing. 

After a few long moments of holding eye contact, Johnny motioned next to him. A smaller wolf, about Mark’s age and size, stepped forward with a key. He nodded to Jaehyun politely and unlocked the gateway of iron with swift fingers. 

Jaehyun watched Johnny for instruction, allowing the Alpha to lead the way. Johnny walked back down the hallway first, then the young one, then Lucas, who fell into step with Jaehyun as he hesitantly exited the cell. 

“What time is it?” Jaehyun asked Lucas as they walked together towards the opening flooded with sunlight. 

Lucas shrugged, sounding completely unperturbed by the static tension Johnny’s presence had imbued into the air. “About midday maybe.” 

Jaehyun nodded tersely. The sedative of Taeyong’s scent felt like it was gone from his system, but it must have knocked him around. He never would have guessed that so much time had passed. 

He squinted as he stepped outside into the bright sunlight. After what felt like days trapped in darkness, his whole body seemed to vibrate with it. 

He followed the three wolves out into a small clearing. Remnants of a dead campfire dusted the middle of the site. Around them were three old buildings: the one Jaehyun had been in, a small cabin with a chipped door, and then a stable with a wall that looked like it could have fallen with a strong wind. Four horses grazed nearby, uncaring for the politics conspiring around them. Forest edged in on all sides like shadow. 

Jaehyun stopped as Lucas did. 

“Where are we?” He asked Lucas quietly. 

“In Elden,” he responded casually. He looked around and shrugged. “Somewhere in the Wilds... I don’t know – Johnny’s better with the maps.” 

“I see you’ve made fast friends,” Johnny sighed impatiently as he turned towards them like a teacher glaring at talkative school children. 

Reflexively Lucas took a small step away from Jaehyun’s side, but he still smiled. 

Johnny didn’t waste any time. He beckoned the youngest wolf closer to him and murmured something, motioning to the stable. Jaehyun watched, wordless, as the youth jogged over to the old building and stepped inside. A few moments later, he emerged with a shy, tired looking Mark dragging his feet behind him. 

Jaehyun exhaled in relief. The teen looked fatigued but not hurt. He saw Mark’s face light up in recognition as he noticed them standing in the sunlight. Without speaking, Mark stumbled closer to Jaehyun, until he was close enough for the older Alpha to put a hand on his head in silent greeting. 

“You alright?” he asked quietly. 

Mark nodded, but didn’t look at ease. His face was flushed lightly, and his eyes lingered on the young wolf who had retrieved him. 

Jaehyun glanced around them. His gaze shifted from Lucas to the young wolf who was now standing a few paces to his side. He couldn’t be sure after such a brief introduction, but he assumed this was the Omega Lucas had spoken about. He eyed the teen with a soft lilt of appraisal. He didn’t look like a typical Omega. His eyes were dark and watchful, and his body looked fit and strong. 

Jaehyun glanced to Mark, quietly surprised he hadn’t heard or smelt anything go wrong during the night. 

“I have been assured that neither of you are dangerous or meant Taeyong any harm,” Johnny spoke suddenly. He was talking loudly now, but whether it was to claim dominance in the presence of three other Alphas or merely to project his voice, Jaehyun was unsure. “I’m sure you appreciate why we need to take you back with us, but I don’t want to make this more difficult than it needs to be.” 

“We don’t want to make any trouble.” Jaehyun spoke in the silence that followed. 

“We’re in the Wilds for another night at least,” Johnny said. “Taeyong has requested you be able to travel alongside us. But first we need your scent.” 

Jaehyun licked his lips and exhaled sharply. 

Mark looked between the two older, taller Alphas in confusion. 

“Is that necessary?” Haechan asked, almost rolling his eyes. But as he looked to Lucas, the older wolf was surprisingly serious. “What, you guys didn’t get a good enough whiff of him yesterday?” 

“No, it’s fair.” Jaehyun agreed with Johnny calmly. He looked around. “Here?” 

Johnny nodded flatly. 

Jaehyun stepped forwards and took off his jacket. Mark watched on in interest as he pulled up both his sleeves to expose his forearms and then tersely rolled his neck side-to-side, as if forcing himself to relax. He noticed the tall Alpha, Lucas, speak to Haechan in subdued tones. Mark’s jaw clenched as their faces came close in the exchange. “Go and wait with Taeyong.” 

Haechan’s expression hardened, and he immediately glanced past Lucas to Mark. Mark’s body flinched in response, his muscles tensing in surprise at the sudden attention. But it was only a moment before Haechan looked back at Lucas. “ _You_ go and wait with Taeyong,” the Omega bit back at the tall Alpha in snarky retort, but his voice was free from any real bite. 

Johnny clicked his tongue against his teeth sharply. He had no patience for the delay. “Haechan. Leave.” 

Haechan rolled his eyes, but it was clear he was going to take the direction. He grunted and walked right between where Johnny and Jaehyun were standing, as if to make clear how ridiculous his distance was going to be, and headed towards the cabin. He hated being excluded from anything, but even he appreciated that maybe being in the vicinity of two new Alphas letting their scent loose wasn’t the best idea. Perhaps if he had spared a moment to be at all introspective, he may have realised part of his frustration was that he was being excluded from smelling Mark again. 

Regardless, Haechan bristled against his biology and stood tall as he walked away. “Have fun with your domineering lovefest, Alpha dickwads.” 

He slammed the cabin door behind him. 

Johnny glowered in disapproval at the display, but Mark didn’t miss the way the younger Alpha, Lucas, clumsily tried to suppress a note of laughter at the outburst. Johnny turned to him with a glimmer of desperation. “Am I the only one who’s taking my job seriously?” 

Lucas tried to quieten his smirk and looked down, but Jaehyun spoke again before he could say anything. 

“I’m taking it seriously. Please continue. I want to check on my brother.” 

Mark flushed at the statement of family from Jaehyun, relishing in how protected and valued it made him feel. 

When they had first met, they had been about as far from brothers as you could get. Mark had been reasonably sure Jaehyun didn’t even like him much. But in the years that had passed, their relationship had changed. When Jaehyun spoke of him as a brother now, he believed it. 

Johnny ran his tongue over his teeth and nodded. 

Mark felt inexplicably tense again as he watched the scene unfold. Jaehyun settled himself and rolled his shoulders back. Then he closed his eyes and sunk his head down in what almost looked like prayer. 

When he raised his head again, he looked at the sky and bared his throat. After a moment, Mark could feel a waft of Jaehyun’s scent pick up in the soft breeze. He knew this scent, he’d lived with it for years, and known it for years before that. He took a single step closer and watched, intent, as the largest Alpha, Johnny, walked carefully closer to Jaehyun’s unmoving figure. 

Their eyes met for just a moment of silent consent before Johnny completely invaded Jaehyun’s personal space. 

Mark lost his breath in panic as he watched Jaehyun completely submit to the slightly taller Alpha. As a default member of Jaehyun’s pack, Mark couldn’t help but sink into burning embers of protective aggression as he watched the scene unfold. And yet, it was Jaehyun’s complete sense of calm and control that kept him at bay. 

Jaehyun flinched at the proximity but once the shock of it had passed, he was careful to keep himself completely in subjugation. He slowly moved his head to the side as Johnny leant his face down to the dip of his collarbone. Once there, Johnny inhaled one deep breath. Jaehyun didn’t so much as blink until he had stepped away. 

Johnny’s nose wrinkled as he motioned for Lucas to take his turn. The other Alpha stepped closer with a wry, sheepish smile, trying to make some levity in a situation with seriousness that couldn’t be abated. 

“Sorry man,” Lucas murmured. He approached Jaehyun’s other side as Johnny stepped back. Jaehyun turned his head to bare his neck again. Lucas moved forward much more quickly, and did little more than sniff vaguely above his skin before pulling back to return Jaehyun his space. 

If Johnny was dissatisfied with the display, he didn’t show it. 

Taking the silence as confirmation that his duty was done, Jaehyun took his scent back under control, rolled down his sleeves and motioned for Mark to come closer to him. 

The young Alpha tried not to look Johnny and Lucas in the eye as he approached. His chest was thrumming with nervous energy. He stayed close to Jaehyun and straightened his posture to appear as tall as he could in such strikingly powerful company. 

“Take off your jacket and push up your sleeves.” Jaehyun instructed quietly. 

“What is this?” Mark asked as he did as he was told. His voice was barely more than a whisper, but Johnny and Lucas could easily hear it. 

Jaehyun assuaged the young Alpha as he shed his jacket and pulled his sleeves to his elbows. “They’ll let us travel with them without tying us up or locking us in dungeons as long as they know our scent.” Jaehyun grabbed a pinch of the fabric above Mark’s shoulders and pulled on it lightly, aerating the cloth against his skin. “It means that it would be easier for them to track us if we ran.” 

Mark swallowed and glanced up at Lucas and Johnny, still confused. “Okay...” 

“You roll your sleeves to show you have no weapons, and to bare more skin for the scent to show through.” 

Lucas huffed a note of laughter. He hadn’t spoken to the young Alpha yet, but from what Haechan had reported from previous night, this naivety wasn’t coming as a surprise. “What is with this kid?” He laughed to Jaehyun. “Has he been living under a rock?” 

“Something like that,” Jaehyun almost smiled as he glanced back at Lucas. 

Johnny didn’t miss the quality of familiarity in the exchange, but he didn’t comment on it. He stood with his arms crossed loosely over his chest and watched Jaehyun explain the situation to the young Alpha. 

"You need to let out your scent – just a little bit. Then they’ll each come up to you to smell it and then it’s all over.” 

That sounded simple, but Mark was beginning to panic at the thought of such proximity of two imposing Alpha’s he didn’t know. It wasn’t fear that drove his sharp reaction, but rather the reflexive and deeply wolf-like, Alpha urge not to submit so wholly to them. Doing this was going to cause him considerable pain. 

Jaehyun pulled Mark forward from the shoulder. “You saw them do it to me, they’re not going to hurt you.” 

“I know, I know.” Mark blinked tightly. “I know, I just...” 

“You did so well with Taeyong’s heat.” Jaehyun said this more quietly now, but it was obvious Johnny had heard him. The Alpha grumbled deeply from behind him, which did little to assuage Mark’s concern. “It’ll only be a second.” 

Mark swallowed and tried not to falter as Jaehyun stepped beside him, leaving him open to the intrigued gazes of Lucas and Johnny. 

As Johnny stepped closer, Mark felt Jaehyun grip one of his hands behind his back. He glanced back to Jaehyun weakly. 

“Just a precaution.” Jaehyun spoke soothingly as he pat the Alpha’s wrist where he was holding it. “Let some out now Mark.” Jaehyun instructed quietly as Johnny stepped forward again. 

Mark tensed and then began to panic as he felt Jaehyun grab his other hand, gently but firmly pinning both of them behind him. He felt utterly exposed. 

Johnny angled himself closer and brushed his nose against Mark’s neck without waiting for the young Alpha’s consent. He was less diligent this time than he had been with Jaehyun, but Mark still almost fainted with the amount of effort it took to control himself from growling or forcing his way out of Jaehyun’s hold to run. As Johnny stepped back, the teenager felt his body recoil against Jaehyun’s firm hands. 

“Sorry buddy,” Lucas said as he ducked close to Mark’s other side. As he did so, Mark flinched away sharply, but Lucas didn’t seem to mind. Jaehyun was convinced that the Alpha didn’t end up with much of an idea of his scent at all, but clearly Lucas wasn’t concerned. It seemed to be the Custom itself more than the practicality of it that needed to be fulfilled. 

His duty done, Lucas and Johnny both stepped back to give the young Alpha plenty of space. As soon as Jaehyun let him go, Mark stumbled away a few paces and rubbed at his neck. He cleared his throat and fidgeted uneasily under the stare of the taller men. 

“Pull it back now, Mark.” Jaehyun said after he’d given the teen a moment to calm down. 

Mark flushed with self-consciousness and closed his eyes tightly to bring himself under control. In contrast with Jaehyun’s smooth cessation, Mark needed a few uninterrupted seconds of concentration to manage the feat. One moment, two, and then the air was quiet again. All their scents cleared like candles being extinguished. 

Silence descended. 

Mark jumped as Jaehyun’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Alright?” 

He nodded, still breathing through his mouth. He looked up and saw the less intimidating Alpha – Lucas – give him a thumbs up. “Like a pro,” he grinned. 

Johnny sharply turned back to the cabin even before the door to it had swung open. Belatedly, Mark turned to the building to see the young Omega walk out, a scathing pout on his handsome face. He looked at Mark for a moment before wandering back towards Lucas. 

It may have just been the sunlight, but Mark thought his face seemed just the slightest bit flushed.

A moment later, Taeyong appeared from inside the cabin too. His pale skin was lustrous in the daylight. “Are you finished?” He asked from the doorway, the words apparently directed towards Johnny. 

Johnny crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Yah,” he breathed, “here I am, just trying to not break any laws, and all I get is cheek from the Omegas.” 

Lucas snickered in amusement. 

“Have we all properly met now?” Taeyong ignored the retort. he came closer and took the lead in the lose circle of wolves. “Jaehyun, Mark,” he motioned towards the newcomers, “this is Lucas, resident optimist,” Lucas ducked his head in greeting, his expression warm and handsome, “Haechan, our best hunter-” 

“And pain in the ass,” Lucas added darkly, but his voice was edged with affable humour. 

Haechan ignored him and smiled at the pair of Alphas instead. He looked at Mark until the teen hesitantly reciprocated the attention, before flicking his gaze back to Taeyong. 

“And this is Johnny,” Taeyong walked closer and put his hand on Johnny’s shoulder, the impact swaying Johnny just slightly to his other side. “Knower of rules and observer of Custom.” Taeyong squeezed the thin material of Johnny’s shirt. The Alpha’s expression didn’t change. 

“And drunken singer of songs.” Lucas chimed in with a bellowing burst of laughter. 

Taeyong grinned and let Johnny go. 

“Jaehyun, Mark,” Taeyong said, his tone gentler now. He stepped closer to the two Alphas, moving gracefully through the air. His eyes was luminous and both the Alphas could sense a slight edge of heat still clouding around him. For some reason, Mark found himself glancing at Haechan again. “I’m truly sorry that I have made this happen,” he looked at Jaehyun and held out his hand. “Once we get to Elden, I'll have you cleared. .Thank you for your help. It means a lot.” 

Jaehyun nodded and shook Taeyong’s hand formally. He flinched at the touch, suddenly remembering the way Taeyong had pressed against him in his bed, breathed him in, drawn him out... maybe the effect of Taeyong’s heat on him hadn’t totally dissipated yet after all. “Of course,” he said, his voice slightly husky. 

“Earth sucked anyway.” Mark said with a grin as Jaehyun and Taeyong’s hands parted. 

Jaehyun rolled his eyes. 

“Oh,” Lucas smiled broadly and motioned to Mark. “Looks like we’ve got another snarky teenager in our midst.” 

Haechan squinted incredulously as he slapped Lucas’s arm with the back of his hand. “You’re like... one year older than me.” 

“Try two.” Lucas laughed and jumped back before Haechan could hit at him again. 

As Taeyong walked over to Lucas and Haechan, Johnny moved closer to Jaehyun in his place. As Taeyong had done, he held out his hand. 

Jaehyun accepted the offering in silence. 

Johnny nodded, first to Jaehyun, then to Mark, before turning around. He clapped his hands together. “Alright, we leave in ten minutes. Haechan, don’t forget your arrows again!” 

“Yes Johnny~” the teenager sang sweetly from beside Taeyong. 

Lucas moved towards the stables. “There’s only four horses, Johnny.” 

Jaehyun watched as Haechan's eyes lit up with deviousness. “Oh, maybe Mark and I should ride together.” 

Jaehyun sighed and grabbed Mark by the back of his shirt as he involuntarily took a step closer to the Omega, the reflex unconscious and predatory in the warmth of Haechan’s attention. He stumbled backwards shyly and looked up at Jaehyun with cheeks flushed. Jaehyun licked his lips, realising he’d have to watch this closely. 

As if he was also an elder brother, Lucas wacked Haechan softly on the side of the head. The Omega cackled and darted away. 

“Jaehyun, Mark, you can take my horse.” Lucas said as he saddled the grand animal and pat her side calmly. “ _I’ll_ ride with Haechan.” 

* * *

After riding for most of the day, the six of them stopped to rest at a cave-like structure that opened onto a clearing sheltered from the icy wind. Tired from the journey and needing to stretch, the group settled into different tasks as the afternoon faded into night. Johnny wandered off to get some wood for a fire, Haechan went into the forest to hunt some small game, Mark had gone to climb up onto the rise of the cliff hiding the cave – partially under the guise of getting some kindling, but more so to get some space. Given the sudden overload of company after so long with Jaehyun alone, he had needed some time to acclimatize. 

Jaehyun and Lucas sat with their back against the cave opening, and across from them, resting with his face on the edge of his saddle, Taeyong slept soundly against the cave wall. His body was still fatigued with the tail-end of his heat, his breathing barely discernible from the distance. 

"How long has it been since I've seen you?” Lucas asked Jaehyun quietly. The hum of the twilight was thick around them. 

Jaehyun leaned his head back against the rock of the cave wall and closed his eyes. The sedative of the heat was gone. Now he just felt weary. “Hmm,” he breathed, unsure, “two years?” 

“Must be.” 

Jaehyun licked his lips, memories flashing before him of mayhem and bloodshed. He cleared his throat. “How did you get out?” 

Lucas ran his tongue over his teeth. “I just ran,” he chuckled darkly. “When the coup started, I rode blindly inland.” 

Jaehyun opened his eyes and looked at Lucas incredulously. “Seriously?” 

Lucas nodded, suddenly shy under Jaehyun’s stare. “I didn’t know which way it would go... and those monsters were going _insane_. The further away I could get, the better.” 

The treacherous way of speaking made Jaehyun recoil in surprise. But he calmed himself. These events were years past, and those monsters Lucas spoke of had passed with them. 

“Turns out running was the right choice,” Lucas mused quietly. 

Jaehyun nodded. This much he knew. An entire lineage gone – destroyed by infighting, infinite resources and a vicious lust for power. Pure Bloods vying for absolute control. Legends of curses and bloodlust and animalistic intent. 

Both he and Lucas had happened to be stationed in the Guard for different members of the same, corrupted Pure Blood family. Lucas, relatively low-ranked at the time, was in the corps for the matriarch. Jaehyun had been assigned to one of the young heirs, seventh in line so long as he didn’t Present as an Alpha. It was a mess of allegiances, loyalties, betrayals and corruption. Who you were assigned to meant barely anything in the messy web of motivations and alliances. 

Jaehyun knew this more than anyone. Despite his oath to the many young, removed heirs of the Pure Blood line, he had been allegiant to a rival House. Drawn at first by necessity and then by… 

He shook his head, clearing his mind. 

“What happened then?” 

Lucas shrugged. “I wandered around for a bit. Didn’t care where I went as long as no one paid attention to where I was from.” Jaehyun nodded. He too felt as if the reputation of that side of the continent would remain etched in memory forever. “From there – right place, right time. I got picked up by the Guard for Taeyong’s House. They needed protection from raiders for one of the deliveries between ports. They’d take anyone they could get. No vetting at all. After a while I was picked for Taeyong’s Guard,” he smiled and leaned closer. “I think Johnny liked me.” 

Jaehyun nodded. “Is Taeyong from an important family?” 

“In this region, they're the most important,” he looked over at Taeyong’s sleeping face. “Taeyong’s only a nephew of the ruling line, but he’s loved by everyone in Elden. I mean... look at him.” 

Jaehyun gazed over at the sleeping Omega observantly. Taeyong’s skin looked like it was glowing as the moonlight began to overtake the setting sun. There was certainly something intriguing about him... like you couldn’t quite look away. 

“They say he’s the most _beautiful Omega in the East_.” Lucas said this grandly, as if he was one of the gossiping harlots in the Capital. “But he’s restless too. All these trips... for Honour the family couldn’t let him go away all the time with just Johnny trying to keep up.” 

Jaehyun breathed, quiet descending around them. He couldn’t quite grasp that the Omega he’d found in the warehouse was some famous princeling. 

He couldn’t believe anything right now. 

Absently he wondered about when the milk in their fridge on Earth would go off. Would they ever be back to clean it up? When would the school do a check-in call for Mark when he stopped turning up? When would they be pronounced missing altogether? Would anyone even notice? 

“How did you get out?” Lucas asked. 

Jaehyun tried not to bristle with protective distance as he reoriented himself to the question. “Luck, mostly,” he said as he stared into the twilight descending on the forest in front of them. “Blind hope that the stories about the dormant portals weren’t bullshit,” he managed a half-truth. 

Lucas chuckled. “I’m surprised either of us made it out, to be honest.” 

Jaehyun wrung his fingers together slowly. He felt tense now, but he couldn’t forget the question that was so precariously formed on the edge of his tongue. If he and Lucas had made it out – against all odds – perhaps others had too. Perhaps... 

“Did anyone else make it?” Jaehyun winced as the question spilled from his lips without his own consent, “...that you know of?” 

Memory morphed with the darkness around him. Dark eyes above pale cheeks. Cold fingers. Clandestine whispers. 

Jaehyun blinked softly and anchored himself to the here and now. 

“Hmm... not anyone I think you would have known,” Lucas said thoughtfully. “Felix got out – if you remember him, from the Cousin’s House. Don’t know where he is though. I just heard that from a contact in the North.” 

Jaehyun nodded, feeling numbness lace his veins. 

He looked out at the forest, now cast in silver moonlight. This had all been easier when he’d been on Earth... when he had thought he would never leave again. When nothing could tempt him because nothing could change. 

“Oh,” Lucas said suddenly. He clicked his fingers a few times, as if trying to recall a name. “Crap... I can’t believe I’m forgetting this,” he covered his eyes with his hands for a moment as he struggled with the recall. “I don’t know if you ever saw him – he was one of the heirs to the counter-claim House.” 

Jaehyun’s breath caught in his throat. 

“I saw him a lot because the matriarch went to bargain with that family a few times before the coup,” Lucas spoke on. “This son was aligned with resistance forces though.” 

Jaehyun felt like he couldn’t breathe. He’d known one such person. One son from the claimant Houses... aligned with the resistance against the Pure Blood line... one dark-eyed wolf whom he’d met on an errand and met with again in treachery. And again and again and again. One person... only one. Jaehyun's formal allegiances to the cursed line... they meant nothing compared to the organic warmth that spread through his chest merely at the memory of that one wolf who meant so much. 

Suddenly Lucas sat up and clicked his fingers, his eyes dancing in recall. 

“Doyoung,” he said as the weight dropped out of Jaehyun’s world. “Do you remember him?” 

Jaehyun felt the life leech out of him. His heart stopped beating and then started back up again with a stomach-lurching drop. His body went fierce with adrenaline and relief and every complex emotion he couldn’t process. But his expression remained impassive and utterly unphased. He blinked slowly, grounding himself, feeling the rotation of the planet below him, and then spoke gently into the silence. “I remember.” 

If Lucas felt the shift in Jaehyun’s disposition, he didn’t show it. “Fuck knows how he got out of that shit alive. His House was destroyed, but he made it.” 

Jaehyun nodded. He knew exactly how Doyoung had got out alive. It was because he was smarter than all the bullshit his House was doing. Because he could see what was coming. Because he was a better person than the conflagration of animosity and selfishness that had engulfed his part of the world. 

“He’s in the Capital now,” Lucas spoke on, his voice distant in Jaehyun’s mind. “He has something to do with the Guard there.” Lucas kept speaking, uncaring or unseeing of Jaehyun’s reaction. “Funny how nobility will always mean something, even from dead Houses.” 

Jaehyun couldn’t breathe. And yet he was hyperventilating. 

“Hey,” Lucas spoke on, completely unobservant. Jaehyun thanked the Gods that this boy hadn’t become more astute to detail in the time they’d been separated. “The kid you’re with – what's his deal?” 

Jaehyun bit his lip. Lucas's question offered no respite. If he was tense before, now concern was stacked in his gut like burning coals. The conversation gave him no room to calm. Despite Lucas’s lack of observation for the little things, he was a difficult person to lie to. Intuitive and watchful in an entirely different way. “I fled with him,” Jaehyun offered the truth stripped-back. “We both escaped at the same time.” 

Lucas’s brow furrowed as he looked at Jaehyun in interest. “Strange... you were one of the younger ones in your unit, weren’t you?” 

Jaehyun glanced over at Taeyong, the Omega still sound asleep. They were still alone. “Mark wasn’t in the Guard.” Jaehyun breathed as he looked back to Lucas. 

Lucas’s expression tightened in thought. “Then who...” he went still. Eerily still. “Where were you stationed again?” he asked quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper. 

Jaehyun’s body tensed as he felt the cogs begin to turn in Lucas’s mind. “I was assigned to one of the heirs, one of the nephews,” he offered without intonation in his deep voice. Reflexively he touched his fingertip up to the delicate flesh behind his ear, where the branding scar – a single, red stripe, had been burned into his skin forever as proof of this assignment. “But I was allegiant to one of the sub Houses.” He said this to soften the blow – he had been allegiant to Doyoung’s house, despite his assignment to the cursed line of the Pure Blooded Southern family. But Lucas didn't care about this detail, and Jaehyun couldn’t blame him. 

Lucas wasn’t even breathing. “Those nephews were from the main line,” Lucas said darkly, “the cursed line of Pure Bloods.” 

“The Pure Blood curse is a myth.” Jaehyun said unconvincingly. 

“I saw things back then, Jaehyun.” Lucas countered quietly. His eyes were alight. “I believe in things now I never thought were possible before.” 

Jaehyun licked his lips, unable to think of what to say. In the end, it turned out he should have said _anything_ to divert Lucas’s suddenly astute deductions.

“One of those nephews Presented, right?” he asked. Jaehyun flinched as he saw where the Alpha was headed. “Right before all that shit started? Presented as an Alpha? It’s what sparked the coup.” 

Jaehyun licked his lips. That was an understatement if ever he’d heard one. 

It’s what had caused the fucking war. 

Lucas didn’t so much as blink. “What happened to your charge, Jaehyun?” He stared into Jaehyun’s eyes like he didn’t want to know the answer. “Where did he go?" 

Jaehyun inhaled. He knew nothing he said now could undo this. Instead of answering, he rocked forwards, emphatic and serious. “Lucas, you can’t tell _anyone_.” 

Lucas’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What the fuck, Jaehyun? Are you serious right now?” 

Jaehyun ignored him. “I was sworn to protect him.” 

“It’s _Mark_!?” 

Jaehyun looked around them in slight panic. Lucas’s voice had climbed.

He looked around in disbelief. "You just said you were allegiant to one of the claimant Houses!” 

So he _had_ been listening. “Yeah, I was... I _am_. But that doesn't mean I wanted the kid dead. He’s a good kid. He always was. From the start I was praying that he’d Present as anything but Alpha. It’s not his fault.” 

Lucas laughed, but it wasn’t humoured. He laughed because it’s all he could do. He put his hand on his forehead, as if checking if he was still there. “The curse...” 

Jaehyun didn’t let him settle in the realisation. He spoke on, grabbing Lucas’s shoulders to force him to listen. “As soon as Mark Presented, it all became obvious – that the uncle was going to attack sooner than we thought. There was no choice. I took him and I ran.” 

Lucas stared at Jaehyun with fresh eyes. “It was _you,_ ” he shook his head and looked around. “This conspiracy people talk about to save the last cursed, Pure Blooded heir of the South was just a low-ranked Guard taking some newly-Presented pup into the woods?” Lucas pointed at Jaehyun in disbelief, his pointer finger pressing sharply against his sternum. “You started the war.” Lucas was speaking with some hyperbole – the tone playful in surprise, but Jaehyun didn’t see the comedy. 

“The war would have happened anyway.” Jaehyun’s voice was terse. “I just saved one innocent kid from being part of the fallout.” 

Lucas’s expression faded into seriousness again. “The stories are everywhere, Jaehyun.” His tone was warning now. 

Jaehyun frowned. “What stories?” 

“Stories that the Pure Blood heir survived. That the curse lived on in him. I thought it was bullshit, but people were right to suspect something. Nobody else was left. All the other Pure Bloods were slaughtered.” Lucas looked up, almost groaning. “The war is still happening because people think he’ll be found. Even the Capital is searching for him.” Lucas shook his head in disbelief. “That kid...” he breathed. He looked at Jaehyun in mute helplessness. When he spoke, his voice was rounded with laughter because that’s all he could do. “We had the Pure Blooded heir to the South locked in the cell of a stable in the middle of Gods-know-where in the Wilds of Elden?” He inhaled sharply. “Fuck me, Jaehyun.” He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “No one can know about this.” 

When Jaehyun spoke again his voice was loud and grating in agitation: “That’s what I’ve been-” he broke off his sentence sharply to control his volume, looking over at Taeyong in concern before confirming the Omega was still in the throes of sleep. He softened his voice and pulled himself closer to the other Alpha before speaking again. “That’s what I’ve been saying.” He gripped Lucas by the shoulder and squeezed him tightly to force his attention to centre. “He’s a good kid. He just wants a normal life. He doesn’t have that darkness in him. It’s been years since he Presented and I haven’t seen a glimmer of it. The curse isn’t real. Not in him at least.” 

Lucas frowned. 

“None of this is his fault. Just forget about it.” 

Lucas went to speak again, but a sharp crack of a stick breaking from the forest before them stopped him.

They both looked up at the same time to see Haechan standing a few paces away, holding a bunch of three dead rabbits. “What are you losers whispering about?” he said as he walked closer. 

Jaehyun smiled at him, knowing that the Omega didn’t know him well enough to derive the tension behind his expression. 

“Nothing,” Lucas spoke with a conspicuous tone in his voice. 

Haechan eyed them suspiciously and didn’t respond. 


	6. Chapter 6

# Chapter Six

Mark awoke that night with cold etched into his bones. Consciousness cracked through his rest like a sledgehammer, demanding that he find warmth. 

He opened his eyes with a grunt. The fire had died down to a few smoldering coals, and the miniscule heat did nothing against the chill of early morning. The world was soaked in blackness and Mark’s body ached with discomfort. 

He wrapped his arms around his chest and curled in on himself, trying to conserve some heat. He glanced up and could see the dark silhouette of Jaehyun’s body beside him, the Alpha deep in sleep. Across the fire, he could see Johnny dozing against the cliff wall, Taeyong resting on his side next to him. The crown of the Omega’s head was touching Johnny’s thigh. 

Mark inhaled sharply and shut his eyes, trying to force the cold away. Tighter and tighter he curled in on himself. But it did nothing. Mark opened his eyes in frustration. He was tempted to get up and run around to try and get some heat into his body, but he was so genuinely tired he couldn’t comprehend doing so. 

_Crack_. 

Mark’s ears flinched as he heard the sound of something approaching. He went still, listening like a predator in waiting, as the darkness surrounded him with silence. 

_Crack_. 

Mark spun around speedily at the sound of the second step, his reflexes sharp and unforgiving in the numbing chill. He grabbed out into the dark and latched onto something before his brain had even had the chance to catch up with his body. 

Haechan stared at him in muted surprise. He had been leaning down, about to nudge Mark to attention, when the Alpha had spun and grabbed him by the wrist with movements almost too fast to see. 

“S-Sorry,” Mark whispered as he belatedly released the Omega’s wrist. The wolf’s skin was warm. “I didn’t know it was you.” 

Haechan appraised his fast reflexes with cautious surprise. “I noticed you dying,” he said with a wry note of humour in his voice. “I thought I’d bring this over.” He held out a bundle of black cloth. 

Mark looked down at the space between them. “Oh,” he breathed. He recognised the garment as one of the thick black jackets the group of them had been wearing. He reached out for it, but hesitated before his fingers could make contact with the heavy cloth. He looked back at Haechan with a blush staining his cheeks. In the dark, he hoped it went unnoticed. 

“I, um... I can’t,” he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, “if it smells like you… I can’t…” He didn’t want to take the coat if it meant surrounding himself in Haechan’s scent. He knew he wouldn’t be able to resist those pheromones. 

Though Haechan was sightly surprised by the admission, he wasn’t concerned. If anything, he was a little pleased. He shook his head and pushed the bundle into Mark’s hands. “Don’t worry – it's Lucas’s,” he whispered. 

Mark frowned, unsure. 

Haechan smiled cheekily. “It’s fine, I’ll tell him I took it.” 

Mark took the cloth slowly, still hesitant. But the cold ache in his bones was motivating him more than any hesitation could hold him down. 

“Would you rather keep shivering until dawn?” 

Mark looked up at Haechan again and smiled shyly. “I guess not.” 

Haechan rocked back, looking suddenly self-conscious at the response. The Alpha’s eyes were glistening with starlight – honest and attentive. “Well... good.” 

“Thanks for bringing this,” Mark whispered as he unfolded the garment. It reeked of Lucas, but Mark didn’t mind, he could handle that. He lay it over his chest and nestled under the rough fabric like it was a blanket with a grunt of satisfaction. “I hope I didn’t wake you up.” 

Haechan shrugged. He was kneeling in front of Mark, but he looked relatively comfortable. “I couldn’t sleep.” He looked around, his eyes landing on Jaehyun’s dozing form. “New Alphas around. It's harder to relax.” 

Mark nodded reflexively, though truthfully, he didn’t really understand the implications of this. 

“Hey,” Haechan said quietly, “I’m sorry for yesterday... baiting you like that.” 

Mark blinked slowly. It felt like Haechan was fishing for something with the statement. Mark didn’t know what exactly he was apologizing for, but he decided not to ask. “Um. That’s alright.” 

Haechan went quiet for a moment before speaking on. “Are you really... have you really been on Earth since you Presented?” 

Mark really didn’t know what Haechan wanted now. He looked around for a moment, conscious of Jaehyun’s explicit request to guard their history carefully. “Pretty much... yeah,” he answered after a pause that reinforced his sincerity. 

Haechan seemed satisfied with this, like he’d gotten the response he wanted. Mark watched him in interest. The mix of firelight and moonlight on his face made him look starkly beautiful. 

“Am I the first Omega you’ve smelt since then?” 

“You’re the second,” Mark whispered back as he motioned to the area on the other side of the fire where Taeyong was sleeping. 

Haechan nodded, and then slowly leaned forwards a little to bring their faces closer together. Mark swallowed dryly at the proximity. His hand fisted underneath Lucas’s jacket. 

When Haechan spoke again, his voice was barely more than a whisper, ringing with a note of genuine interest that stopped the words from sounding self-obsessed. “Did I smell good?” 

Perhaps Mark, at another time where there wasn’t so much darkness or fatigue or confusion laced in every facet of his mind, may have responded differently. But with all these elements aligned, alongside the sweet eyes of the Omega that glistened softly with the reflection of the fire coals behind him, Mark could do little more than tell the truth. 

He smiled, the expression honest, without breaking the Omega’s gaze. “You smelt amazing.” 

Haechan smiled softly – pleased with the lack of hesitation. Mark felt his breath lighten. “Great.” Had the Omega looked flushed as he leaned back? Mark didn’t trust his eyes. “Don’t freeze to death, okay?” Haechan said as he got silently to his feet. 

“Thanks, Haechan.” Mark said again. 

Haechan looked back at him and nodded with a warm expression on his cool features. 

Once he’d heard Haechan settle again on the other side of the fire, Mark lay back down and pulled Lucas’s jacket across his side. As he exhaled, he felt deeply content and much, _much_ warmer... like maybe it wasn’t just the jacket that had made his body flush with heat... 

Without thinking, Mark sleepily opened his eyes to peer past the fire where he thought Haechan must have been resting. Unsurprisingly, with the darkness and the coals, Mark couldn’t see anything that far. But as he drew his gaze back, he jolted in surprise at the sight of Johnny’s open, watchful eyes peering at him from his spot against the cave wall. As if to make clear he had observed the exchange. 

Mark bit his lip, concerned, and slowly closed his eyes, praying that the next time he opened them, the Alpha would be asleep. 

* * *

By the time dawn light had begun to rouse Mark from sleep, everyone else seemed to be already up and readying to leave. 

Mark sat up with a grunt of effort, fatigue pulling at his eyes. He rubbed his face for a moment and glanced absently around to see where Jaehyun was. 

He didn’t spot him, but what he _did_ spot was Taeyong looking thoughtfully in his direction. 

Mark stiffened under the gaze, memories of the Omega in their small house on Earth rushed through him. But this seemed like an entirely different person - withheld and watchful. As his icy eyes stared at Mark’s, the young Alpha found nothing but observation there. Not unkindness or suspicion. 

The Omega walked over to Mark and knelt slowly in front of him. He rested on the balls of his feet, his arms on his knees, his stance agile and fox-like. He motioned to the coat still hanging from Mark’s shoulder and hugging across his chest. “Where did you get that?” 

Suddenly, Lucas was behind him. The Alpha reached down and removed the thick jacket from Mark’s gentle grasp in one powerful movement. Mark instantly felt cooler for the loss. He looked up and saw Lucas sniff his coat with comic disdain. “It’s mine,” he said with a grumble that was playful if not contented. “It stinks now.” 

“I gave it to him.” Haechan’s voice was impatient and surely as he spoke up from beside his horse. Almost as if this much should have been obvious. 

Lucas rolled his eyes and walked over to the Omega to give him some cheek. Taeyong smiled at the exchange between his Guard members, but didn’t move. 

When Mark looked back to him, he was once again lost in the Omega’s grey eyes. 

“Careful with that one, Mark.” Taeyong said with a gentle, knowing smile. “He likes his games and he’s good at winning.” 

* * *

Mark didn’t mind horse-riding. Honestly, he had kind of missed it. It was one of the few things in his life before the war that he’d been made to do that he actually enjoyed. That and sword fighting. But it had been years since he’d held a sword or touched a horse. And aside from some hand-to-hand sparring in the woods on Earth when Jaehyun was in the mood, he was horrifically out of practice in both. 

But being on a horse again felt nice. Even though he was stuck on one behind Jaehyun, Mark couldn’t find it in himself to complain. He’d felt somewhat uneasy ever since Taeyong had entered their lives, and with all these new wolves around and the scents of new scenery and long cold nights with watchful eyes in the dark, Mark found being so close to Jaehyun was oddly comforting. A few times during the slow ride, he let his head lull forward onto Jaehyun’s back, his eyes closing serenely against the rhythm of the horse’s movements as he reminded himself of the years when Jaehyun's was the only other scent he knew. 

At about midday, Mark opened his eyes to see they were riding through a dense forest. Dew clung to each leaf, perhaps from rain that had come and gone before them. Sunlight cascaded down from the thick canopy to dapple through the undergrowth. It caught the edge of each dew-like droplet and refracted through the mist of water upon the greenery to illuminated the dense meadow with scintillating light. 

Taeyong and Johnny, each on their own horses, were riding close to each other up ahead. Mark could see dappled sunlight in Taeyong’s hair. He saw Johnny laugh at something, the atmosphere between them sweet and comfortable. 

Lucas and Haechan had been riding on their horse behind Mark and Jaehyun, but as they passed through the grassy undergrowth with wet leaves and ethereal sunlight, Lucas rode forwards to catch up with them. 

“Hey, Jaehyun,” Lucas said as he slowed his horse down beside them. “Hungry?” 

Mark turned as Jaehyun did, but while Jaehyun was looking at Lucas, Mark was directly in line with Haechan, seated on the horse behind the tall Alpha. The Omega smiled at him lazily and winked. His face was a picture of warmth and contentment against Lucas’s back. His hair looked fluffy and dark, his skin smooth and warm in the dappled light. 

Mark licked his lips and nodded in greeting, a smile grazing his own features as if the Omega’s expression was contagious. 

He felt Jaehyun’s voice where his head was still resting against his back. “Yeah.” 

“Great. Haechan and I thought there might be something to hunt around here. We’ll see if we can stop soon. We won’t get home until tomorrow.” 

“Where are we now?” Mark asked. 

Lucas looked at him with something heavy and observant in his eyes. “Close to the outskirts of Elden City,” he said. “You know it?” 

Jaehyun bristled. Lucas was asking the kid questions he already knew the answers to. 

But Mark paid it no mind. He didn’t know what he didn’t know. He shook his head. “No - I’ve never been to the East.” 

Lucas looked at Jaehyun knowingly, but Jaehyun ignored him. What point was he proving... that he knew where they hadn’t been? That he knew where Mark had grown up – far from here in the depths of the icy South? 

But Haechan smiled, looking excited by this information. “Where are you from, Mark?” He crossed his arms and nuzzled into Lucas’s back comfortably. “You’re so exotic.” 

Mark couldn’t respond before Lucas pushed the horse forwards, the animal trotting obediently in front of them to slot between Johnny and Taeyong. 

Haechan rolled his eyes as he was taken away. “Yah,” Mark heard him say to Lucas as he rode further along, “I was having a conversation.” 

Jaehyun chuckled as they were left alone. “That kid has some guts,” he mused. 

Mark watched the way Haechan’s hair billowed lightly as Lucas rode on. He didn’t know exactly what Jaehyun meant. 

Mark didn’t have fond memories of his childhood. It was a time strained by stress and resentment. As a young, removed heir, Mark hadn’t been treated like the main family. But Jaehyun had been a shining light of clarity in his confusion, a Guard who hadn’t treated him like a monster or like a prince. Who, despite not being very friendly or kind initially, had eventually become both. Mark had been content to leave the life behind when they had fled from the city, two years before. He hadn't mourned his family; he barely knew them. He fled to Earth with no regrets. 

But Mark did remember learning in his childhood about the way Omegas were treated – observing the way the Alphas around him would watch them, think less of them, expect specific things of their behaviour and actions. Having not yet Presented at the time, Mark had been largely uninterested in the details of these dynamics. But some of it had stuck with him. Omegas weren’t soldiers. Omegas were gentle and pretty and submissive. It was as natural as breathing, this implicit bias he’d acquired. 

But Haechan was a soldier. Haechan was pretty, but he wasn’t submissive. Gentle maybe… 

Mark was staring. He flinched as Haechan turned behind him to look back and met his watchful gaze. He smiled, and Mark felt himself smile too. 

* * *

That night, their positions had shifted a little. As they’d been eating the rest of the meat Haechan and Lucas had hunted during the day, Haechan had somehow managed to position himself beside Mark. 

Over the meal, the six wolves laughed, telling stories or jokes. A few times, Lucas tried to get Jaehyun in on the conversation, and while it didn’t really work, a warm amicability had seemed to settle between them all. Johnny, who previously felt so stone-like and untouchable, had softened in Mark’s eyes to something much more human. As Taeyong’s heat had continued to dwindle, Johnny too had pulled back into greater rationality and patience. And Mark noticed the way that Haechan’s devious playfulness seemed to expand into the gaps in the elders’ dispositions. 

They settled that night without fanfare. Johnny had said that by mid-morning they’d have to begin riding in formation – as the streets became populated with those moving in and out of Elden City. This meant no more riding horses for the ‘prisoners’, no more weapons hanging off Haechan’s back, and no more careless intermingling between Omegas and Alphas from this night on. 

“We really do break a lot of rules, don’t we?” Lucas had mused as Johnny had drawn attention to this. 

“Only those that were meant to be broken, Lucas.” Taeyong had yawned before lying down with a sigh. “If you guys couldn’t control yourself around me and Haechan, you wouldn’t be much use to anyone, would you?” 

Mark smiled, remembering this notion. It’s something that he felt, without consciously realizing it, that Jaehyun had tried to impress upon him years before. It’s why Jaehyun had helped Taeyong in the first place. 

Once again, Mark was cool. But Lucas had given Mark his jacket before they went to sleep, and with the garment against him, Mark wasn’t quite cold. 

He inhaled deeply, wincing as his chest filled with icy night air, and tried to think of calming things. He imagined the forest breathing around them. He thought of music he’d listened to on Earth – the sound of the birds that used to wake him in the mornings. He thought of the way that, after meeting so many new wolves at once, the smell of Jaehyun’s clothes from the horse ride had felt comforting and safe. He thought of Taeyong’s scent... he thought of Haechan’s scent... 

He opened his eyes and was almost unsurprised to see Haechan sitting next to him. The Omega was peering down at his face in silence. Mark felt his pulse quicken. 

After a moment of watching each other, Haechan smiled. “Can’t sleep?” He whispered. 

Mark nodded and shifted under the jacket. He glanced around the darkness, but couldn’t sense anyone else awake. “I think I’m not used to the cold.” 

Haechan nodded and lay down. This time he was closer to Mark than he had been. He nestled against the bracken and positioned himself so that he was on his side facing Mark. They hadn’t bothered with a fire tonight, so it was only the moonlight that illuminated his dark eyes. 

“It’ll be warmer when we get to Elden City,” he whispered. 

Mark sniffed a little. “That sounds nice.” 

“Rooms and beds and everything.” 

“That sounds _nice_.” Mark said again, this time rounding the words with a soft smile. 

Haechan chuckled at the reaction. “If you like that stuff.” 

Mark looked to him, watching the way his hair fell against his face. He wondered how soft it would be to touch. “You don’t like beds?” 

Haechan huffed a breath of laughter. “I like _beds_ ,” he said incredulously. “But I like it out here too. I like waking up in the sun.” 

Mark smiled, comfortable sleepiness dusting over his skin. “That’s cute.” 

Haechan’s expression shifted into something coy and questioning. 

Mark felt blood rush to his cheeks. He had been overcome by something and had spoken without thought. “Sorry, I mean... not cute,” even though that’s exactly what he’d meant. “Just... that’s nice.” He looked at the sky. “I’m just too cold to think about sunshine right now.” 

Haechan hummed, the note barely perceptible in the quiet. 

Silence descended on them for a moment. Mark tried to think of something to say. He didn’t really know why, but he didn’t want to sleep when he could be hearing Haechan’s voice instead. 

“So you’ve never been to Elden City?” Haechan’s whisper reached him softly. 

Mark smiled before he could stop himself. He shook his head and turned to face the Omega more completely. “What’s it like?” he asked, partly because he was interested and partly because he wanted to keep the conversation alive. 

“You’ve seriously never been?” 

Mark smiled, pleased to be speaking with the teenager this much. “Never.” 

Haechan shrugged, the movement graceless with one of his shoulders pressed against the ground. “It’s fine, I guess. It’s not the Capital... I’m from the Coast, but I’ve spent a lot of time there.” 

“Is it sunny?” 

“Sometimes. Usually round this time of year it’s just grey.” 

Mark made a note of understanding. “It doesn’t suit you then.” 

Haechan blinked and went silent for a moment. Perhaps if it was light, Mark would have seen the sudden flush of warmth that had entered the Omega’s handsome face. “What about where you’re from?” Haechan’s voice was gentle. Not prying, but not disinterested. He looked at Mark with eyes dancing in the moonlight. 

Mark didn’t know if Haechan was talking about Earth or before that, but either way the answer was the same. “It was cold,” Mark answered, whispering, “and rainy.” 

“Sounds fantastic.” 

“Epically wonderful.” 

Haechan smiled, laughing a little. Mark smiled too, just because Haechan was. 

Silence settled again. Haechan licked his lips and then edged a little closer, the sound of his clothes against the bracken was organic and soothing. 

“Hey,” he breathed, even more quietly now as he settled into their greater proximity. “What was it like when you smelt an Omega for the first time?” 

Mark swallowed, surprised by the question. Reflexively his gaze flickered to where Taeyong was sleeping. “I um... should we be talking about that?” 

Haechan rolled his eyes. “They’re all asleep. And didn’t you hear Lucas? We break rules out here.” His whispered voice was breathy and light. 

This was plenty for Mark to go on with – he wanted to answer Haechan’s questions, if only to keep the wolf talking. He licked his lips before he spoke, and he wondered if he had imagined Haechan watch him do so. “I mean...” Mark breathed, uneasy. “Well, Taeyong was… he was... in _heat_.” Mark looked back at Haechan and tried to impress the complexity of this. “It fucking _sucked_.” 

Haechan chuckled, the sound just a bit too audible for comfort. Together they looked around in concern for the sleeping older members of the troupe and then shared collusive silence as nobody awoke. 

“That’s not what I thought you’d say,” Haechan murmured, his voice now very carefully a whisper. 

Mark nodded, almost wincing at the memory. “He smelt like... _too_ good. You know?” 

Haechan didn’t respond.. 

“It... like...” one of Mark’s hands lifted from in front of him in unhelpful gesture. “It like... _hurt_.” 

Haechan’s expression pulled into one of confusion. 

Mark kept speaking, deciding that if he was in this far, he might as well keep talking. “Jaehyun had to growl at me to keep me away from him.” 

“Seriously?” Haechan asked in wonder. “That’s hectic.” 

“It’s embarrassing,” Mark whispered. 

Haechan smiled at the expression on the Alpha’s face. “Yeah, it really is.” 

Mark chuckled in self-deprecation, giving Haechan the point. “Well, what about you then?” He responded in kind. He settled under Lucas’s jacket a little further. It was nice to speak to someone his on age. “Do you remember the first time you smelt an Alpha?” 

Haechan smiled, toying with the fact that he now had the upper hand. “Of course,” he swooned playfully. “How could I ever forget?” He rolled over grandly to gesture at the sky. “It was my sister’s friend. The day after I Presented she walked past me and I almost fainted.” 

“Really?” 

Haechan smirked. “No,” he curled back over to look at Mark. 

“So, you don’t remember?” 

Haechan glanced around them and shuffled closer again. “I don’t remember.” He lied. "But...” Haechan hesitated before deciding to share a story. His whisper got even more subdued and clandestine. “But I remember one time, Johnny lost it – I can’t remember what about. Some idiot cornered Taeyong or something. And he like, couldn’t control his scent for a minute. _That_ was pretty good.” Haechan nodded approvingly. “Better than Lucas’s at least.” 

Mark listened to this information with sincere interest. “Seriously?” 

Haechan nodded, amused. “Yeah.” 

“What about me?” 

Haechan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What about you?” 

“How do I smell?” 

Haechan huffed away in surprise at the question. “What?” 

“You asked me last night how you smell.” 

“That’s different.” 

“It’s not different at all.” 

“I can’t describe how you smell. It’s not that easy.” 

“Sure it’s easy.” 

“No it’s not.” 

“Well, was it nice?” 

Haechan licked his lips. “I mean, of course it was nice.” 

Mark smiled, bravery flourishing in the darkness. “What do you mean, ‘ _of course_ ’?” 

“Alphas always smell kind of nice.” 

“How nice?” 

“What do you mean, ‘ _how nice_ ’?” 

“Was it better than Lucas’s?” 

Haechan smiled, fire in his eyes. Two could play at this. “Was mine better than Taeyong’s?” 

“That’s different.” 

“It’s not different.” 

“Taeyong was in heat, of course it’s different.” 

“Well, the next time I'm in a heat I’ll force you to choose who smells better.” 

Mark went still as a flurry of involuntary imaginings suddenly rushed through his mind. And he knew Haechan could see the tension in his eyes. 

Silence descended on them, awkward and knowing. Both of them froze under the oppressive weight of the scenario that had just been posed. 

Mark felt heat flush to his face and he thanked the Gods for the grey-scale moonlight. Just the thought of Haechan any hint like Taeyong had been – breathy and flushed with a scent exuding wanting and desire to the point of pain – was enough to make Mark lightheaded with lust. The flicker of imagination that slipped through his mind before he shut it down with all his not-considerable willpower made his gut churn with wanting a hundred times over. He shifted, hoping Haechan couldn’t read the sudden twist of impulse that had passed through him. But he was sure some of it escaped in his scent before he could catch it. 

And despite himself, Mark’s body betrayed him in the moment of desolately charged stillness and decided to speak. “Okay.”

He flinched as he heard himself whisper the affirmative response, the word cracking into the darkness like lightning. 

Haechan clearly hadn’t expected him to speak. The Omega cleared his throat and stared, wordless. His cheeks were dark. “Cool.” 

“Cool.” 

“Night.” 

“Goodnight.” 

Haechan watched Mark for a stunned moment more, completely lost for words, and then quickly rolled onto his other side. 

Mark was shocked silent by the awkwardness of the conversation, but he was also alight with adrenaline. As his exhilaration and panic slowly faded, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He closed his eyes. With warmth imbued in his blood, he drifted quietly into slumber as the sky rotated endlessly above them. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Double-update today. Chapter Eight will be up an hour or so after this one :)

# Chapter Seven

“Sorry about this buddy,” Lucas said with a dry huff of awkward laughter as he slowly bound Mark’s hands with the rough rope. 

Mark shifted uneasily as the binding was tightened. His reflexes were telling him to fight out of the constraints, but Jaehyun’s calm presence beside him was reassuring. 

It was morning. The sun had managed to peak from the clouds to grace them with momentary warmth, but a deep stain of looming rain was on the horizon, like an omen. 

They had risen early, Mark had gratefully handed Lucas back his uniform coat, and they had ridden for a few hours closer and closer to civilization, further and further from the Wilds and the portal and Mark’s dreamlike life on Earth. Conversation was sparse on the journey; as if each of the troupe were taking in the last minutes of their freedom in silence. A contented mood, if not a celebratory one. 

An hour or so before midday, Johnny had pulled them all aside, stating that it was time to arrange their faces. The roads were getting more populated and, by Johnny’s estimate, the city walls were no more than an hour’s ride away. 

Mark and Jaehyun were told to dismount Lucas’s horse. They then dutifully allowed their hands to be bound with rope, as befitting the circumstances of their presence in the small team. Mark noticed the binding was a bit looser around his wrists this time than it had been on the first night. More for show. 

“Never thought I’d have to do this to either of you,” Lucas hummed as he glanced to Mark for a moment. 

Mark didn’t know what to make of this. He had realised Jaehyun and Lucas knew each other, that much was obvious even without talking about it. But Lucas didn’t know him… 

Mark wasn’t too phased by it though. He was used to Jaehyun keeping information tightly controlled, and his deep trust of the elder Alpha stopped him from feeling too uneasy at the omissions. He was sure he’d find out in due course. 

Besides, Mark had enough holding his attention. 

His gaze flicked up to Haechan as Lucas continued binding Jaehyun’s hands together beside him. 

The Omega looked dazzling in the momentary sunlight. His skin glowed with it, like his strong, youthful body was saving up brightness for the grey weather to come. He was busy strapping his gear onto his horse – the horse Mark and Jaehyun had been riding. Methodically, with practiced movements, Haechan hung his bows and sword on the clasps of the bridling until every weapon was off his body and on display on the complicated saddling. He had shed himself of a weaponized identity and stepped aside from it. The process looked personal and contemplative. 

Once Haechan had finished strapping his sword down on the saddle, he straightened his back and stretched his arms over his head. 

His body was now completely free of weaponry, all of it strapped to his horse. 

Mark didn’t think it looked right. In that moment, Mark realised he had never seen the Omega without at least a knife by his side. Even at night, during their whispered conversations, one had been on his hip. 

Haechan turned then, almost like he had felt that he was being watched. The look on his face was one of dim annoyance and begrudging reverence, but he seemed receptive of the company. 

Mark stepped forward and glanced back at Jaehyun for a moment, as if seeking permission to move. The elder Alpha, still getting his hands bound, softly nodded his acquiescence. 

Mark approached Haechan quietly, his steps slightly awkward with his wrists tied. “What are you doing?” he broached gently, conscious of the heavy aura surrounding the ritualistic process. 

Haechan seemed welcoming of Mark’s presence, but as he spoke, a deep sense of acceptance shadowed over him – submission to the expectations placed upon his shoulders. 

“Mark, an Omega in a Guard is one thing,” Haechan pat his horse gently on the neck a few times. “But it’s another thing to have an Omega in a Guard who flaunts it.” 

Mark licked his lips, feeling awkward with his hands bound in front of him. “You can’t carry weapons?” He asked, uneasy. 

“According to Custom, I shouldn’t even be riding a horse by myself.” 

Mark looked back at the animal now laden with Haechan’s elaborate and loved weaponry. His hunting bow, his quiver of arrows, his sword and his knife all sat inert and waiting, like decoration in memoriam of a rider who wasn't there. It was a statement of absence. 

“What’s the point in being in the Guard then?” Mark murmured thoughtfully. 

“Hey,” Johnny’s deep voice carried over them suddenly. Mark flinched at the baritone seriousness, but Haechan didn’t react. “He _is_ in the Guard. That’s all that matters. Rules in the city are rules for a reason,” Johnny spoke now to Haechan directly, “but out here, you’re worth more than most of those Alpha recruits your age combined. I won’t keep reminding you of that.” 

Haechan seemed to appreciate the sentiment, but Mark could see in the Omega’s eyes that it didn’t change anything. If he was of such use, why wouldn’t he be able to ride his own horse then? 

“And we show them the negative space, right Haechan?” Lucas smiled as he walked closer, Jaehyun now bound loosely beside him. “We ride with Haechan’s horse empty, since they won’t let Haechan ride on her in the city.” 

Haechan snickered at this. “Yeah,” he looked to Mark in explanation, “we only started doing it when Taeyong gave Johnny no other choice.” 

Johnny rolled his eyes. “And now it’s our tradition. You must be very pleased with yourself.” 

Haechan laughed. “I’m not unhappy about it.” 

“Hey,” Taeyong’s voice cut through the banter. 

The Omega was sitting on his horse, his expression taught with something akin to stress but without the anxiety. He had shed his dark coat, so that only his grey undershirt covered his lean chest. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing porcelain forearms. The shirt was unbuttoned at the top – a breeze lifted it free of his chest for a moment to reveal the sharp dip of his clavicle bone. His thick, black coat – like that Lucas, Johnny and Haechan still wore, was tied loosely by the sleeves around his hips. 

“Let’s not stand around for hours while Jaehyun and Mark are tied up like this, alright?” He looked at Johnny. “I’m embarrassed enough about doing this to them.” 

Johnny walked closer to Taeyong and nodded. “You okay?” He asked quietly as he pat Taeyong’s horse softly next to where his leg pressed against the animal’s body. 

Taeyong’s expression was one of steeled unemotionality. “I just want to get this over with.” 

A slight foreboding entered Mark’s disposition at the comment. 

Johnny didn’t say anything further. He got onto his own horse and motioned for Lucas to do the same. 

Mark reflexively moved back towards Jaehyun, who had settled behind Lucas’s horse. As he got there, he noticed Haechan hadn’t moved. 

“I can walk with Jaehyun and Mark,” Haechan said as Lucas held out his hand to help him up onto his horse. 

“Get on the horse with Lucas, Haechan.” Johnny’s voice was serious. “Don’t push it.” 

Haechan looked to Taeyong for a moment, who didn’t return the gaze. The elder Omega seemed icily serious and focused on something else. 

The rain clouds were closer now. 

Lucas offered his hand again and Haechan begrudgingly took it. He levered himself onto the horse with practiced, economic movement. Mark was watching the way the Omega’s hair had shifted in the sunlight, and flinched as Haechan looked back at him. “I’ll show you around when we get there," he said. 

Mark blinked, surprised by this explicit acknowledgment of him. Then he smiled and nodded. “Okay.” 

Lucas turned back too to look straight at Mark. “You alright back there?” He asked. 

Mark turned to Jaehyun in soft surprise. Something about this felt strange. Not Haechan so much... but Lucas’s interest... what was it based on? 

Mark’s gaze caught Jaehyun’s, and he noticed that the elder Alpha looked impatient. 

Lucas smirked, unable to stop himself from speaking on. “Never thought I’d be dragging you in binding behind me, Captain.” 

Jaehyun almost growled in annoyance at the explicit acknowledgment of their mysterious history. “Eyes front, Lucas,” he said grittily. 

Haechan’s eyes lit up in surprise at the response. “Yah! I knew you knew each other! How do you know each other!?” 

“Not now,” Johnny growled. He and Taeyong were already moving away. “We _will_ explore that later,” he looked pointedly at Lucas for a moment. “But let’s not prolong this more than we have to.” 

* * *

Mark felt shy as they passed through more populated streets. Buildings began to appear out of the forest. Paths that had been pressed into the greenery and bracken by hooves and footsteps, widened and hardened into cobblestoned roads. The quiet of the Wilds turned to ambient meanderings of people at work and at play. Anonymity in the wilderness and the silent space for warmth in Haechan’s eyes were usurped by onlookers and strangers who watched the group travel upon the arterial roads, commenting on them, pointing to them. 

By the time they got to the city walls, nearly everyone they passed was watching, each set of eyes seemed to recognize the Omega on the horse at the head of the small band of young wolves. 

To say Taeyong was popular was an understatement. He was downright famous. Around every corner, more onlookers paused to watch the procession. Mark saw Omegas gather and coo over his ethereal beauty, saw Alphas posturing around him and children running alongside the horse to be close to him for as long as they could follow. 

Taeyong had moved forward, in front of the others, to lead their way. Beside him, Johnny sat on his horse, his eyes watchful. Behind Johnny, followed Lucas and Haechan riding together. And next to them, Haechan’s empty horse, adorned with the Omega’s weaponry. And behind the last horses, Jaehyun and Mark walked, their hands bound. 

The further into the city they got, the more attention Taeyong seemed to attract. Every now and again someone would step towards him to offer him something – usually flowers or poesy. Men and women, Alpha, Omega and Beta, all were enchanted by his aura of beauty and iciness. And Mark could see that as they continued, Taeyong adopted a careful balance of welcoming and calm on his angular features. Enough to entertain but not give away. 

Sometimes the attention turned to Johnny – who would smile calmly at onlookers who called his name. When the attention turned to Lucas, he was much less withdrawn. Least of all was Haechan. Mark had to stifle the ruffle of concern that passed through him as a particularly boisterous, young Alpha had called Haechan’s name on the corner of one of the busy roads. 

Haechan had turned, holding one of Lucas’s shoulders for support, to blow an ostentatious kiss towards the admirer. That got a stir from the onlookers, who seemed to love the flagrant display of fanservice. 

Jaehyun and Mark weren’t immune either. At one point a beautiful Beta woman came up to Jaehyun and placed a single flower in the rope binding his wrists. He smiled at her, and Mark could have sworn she almost fainted. 

“Where did you get the strays, Johnny?” someone called from the front of a bar. Johnny ignored him, and Mark shied away from the gaze, but Jaehyun stared him down. Mark felt powerful by association as the man stumbled back in the face of the handsome, unfamiliar Alpha. 

After some time walking through the snake-like roads that curved up the hillside of the city, they passed through a large gate, its elaborate wooden design imposing and grand. Mark noticed as they stepped through it, that the onlookers seemed to fade away, it was clearly a place where the commoners from the city itself did not enter. 

In front of them, a large building stretched across a raised hill in a sweeping display of wealth. To one side of the cobblestone clearing was a heavily treed expanse, with a maze of buildings and barracks stretching off behind its wall of greenery. On the other side of the yard, a sharp downhill gave an unexpected view of the city, which cascaded into a valley below – a mess of rooftops and streets busy with activity. 

“It’s beautiful,” Mark breathed as he lost himself in the unexpected vista. 

Jaehyun didn’t speak. The elder Alpha was too focused on what was to come. 

A few stable-hands came forward to take the horses as the riders dismounted. Johnny swung himself off his horse first, and then offered his hand to assist Taeyong, who took it formally. 

If Mark had to guess, the Omega was still just the slightest bit impacted by his heat, which – despite how long it had felt to Mark that he’d known these people, had peaked only days before. 

With the horses led away, Haechan dropped back to Jaehyun and Mark once more. “Nice flower, Jaehyun,” he smiled, his tone pleasantly teasing as he stepped between the Alphas smoothly. He reached over to pluck the blossom from the rope where one of the onlookers on the streets had placed it between Jaehyun's hands. He sniffed it twice and then put it in his own pocket. 

Mark could tell Jaehyun liked Haechan. The elder Alpha had a sense of patience about him when the Omega was around. 

“Hopefully we’ll get you out of that rope soon,” Haechan said. 

“Where are we going?” Mark asked as they began to follow Taeyong and Johnny up the broad, stone staircase to the imposing building. 

“To present ourselves to Taeyong’s aunt and uncle. His aunt always gets a debrief from his trips and... well...” Haechan glanced to Jaehyun, "this time we were delayed.” 

Jaehyun swallowed. “How will this go, Haechan?” Jaehyun’s voice was deep and serious. 

Haechan looked down, unusually sincere and thoughtful. “I don’t know.” 

“Haechan,” Lucas called quietly from in front. The Alpha beckoned the teen closer, presumably so he could enter the building with the Guard members and not the two rogues they had tied up behind them. 

Haechan nodded and jogged forward to catch up with the Alpha, bristling as Lucas pat his hair. 

Mark almost reacted the same way. 

“Mark,” Jaehyun’s whispering voice broke his stare on Lucas’s hand.

The teen looked to his brother sharply. “Yes?” 

“I don’t know if we might be separated for a while.” Jaehyun spoke quietly and calmly as they continued walking. Mark could almost feel the cool of the stone steps through his boots. Jaehyun’s tone was deep and serious, and it impressed the importance of his words on Mark much more than panic would have. “Just like we talked about, alright? Don’t tell anyone any details. We fled the war together; we didn’t know where we were going.” 

Mark nodded. “The truth.” 

Jaehyun nodded too, his expression tight but relieved. “Yes. Exactly.” 

Mark tried not to pale as he looked up at the statues beside the ornate door to the building. Behind him rain started to fall, light at first, but quickly becoming heavy and loud as it pounded against the ground. “You’re a good kid, Mark.” 

“I’m not a kid,” he murmured as he looked into the darkness ahead of them, the comment reflexive. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do better for you.” 

Mark looked at Jaehyun with a confused composition on his adolescent face, but before he could say anything, the door behind them thudded loudly shut – the sound decisive as it sealed them in a large reception chamber. 

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Mark belatedly realised that the chamber was far from empty. Groups of people, most of them Alphas dressed in similar, dark clothes, were mingling in the expansive space. At the opposite wall was a grand seating area, two thrones embellished with gold and sculptural detail, above which lay a gigantic circular window with a clear view of the blue-grey clouds beyond. It had started to rain outside. 

Taeyong stepped forwards purposefully, Johnny falling into place just slightly behind him. 

Lucas and Haechan stayed further back. Mark noticed Lucas put a hand on Jaehyun’s rope-bound hands, gently leading him to follow. Mark fell into step with him and tried not to stare as they walked through the room. 

As Taeyong moved further into the space, the people around them began to part, presenting him a clear path towards the head of the chamber. They approached the thrones at a relaxed pace, but every step garnered them more attention. 

“Welcome back, nephew,” a beautiful woman spoke grandly as she stood from one of the thrones. She walked forward with her arms out, motioning to the entire group of youths as she came closer. 

Mark felt shy and unbecoming in the face of such grandeur. Everyone around them was dressed in finery. Candlelight lit the room with glistening gold, the darkness was oddly suited to the dreary weather that had descended outside. 

In contrast, Taeyong and his Guard had all been camping in the Wilds, no bathing, no clean clothes. Dirt clung to their jackets. They must have reeked. 

Mark reflexively went to wipe his face, but quietened in sharp surprise as he remembered his hands were bound. 

“Haechan,” the woman smiled as she stopped a few paces away from Taeyong. “How are you, my angel?” 

Mark’s eyes widened as he saw Haechan shift before his eyes. The Omega stepped forward with a different posture – his movements and gait constrained and executed in an entirely different way to the hunter he had been in the Wilds. He looked elegant and pliant and delicate. He moved forward, stopping at Taeyong’s side to bow deeply. Mark could see his smile, and was lost for a moment in the sweetness he was portraying. He looked like an Omega. 

“Your Grace,” he smiled, supplicatory. 

“Beautiful as always, my boy,” she leaned forward to kiss the Omega informally on the cheek as he straightened from the bow. She motioned to someone nearby, who quickly came to her side to impart a small wreath of flowers. “Here, you're so suited to flowers.” She placed the arrangement as decoration in the soft plumes of Haechan’s hair before motioning for him to step back. 

Mark noticed just the slightest edge of tension in Haechan’s shoulders as he fell back into line. 

“Lucas, Johnny,” she greeted in turn. Each bowed their head softly at the sound of their name. “I see you brought back some pups.” 

Mark felt Jaehyun bristle, but to his credit, not a single breath of movement passed through him. 

“For your review, Your Grace,” Lucas said in his deep baritone as he pat Jaehyun’s bindings. It looked playful to the court, but it was placating for Jaehyun. 

She smiled at him and turned her attention to her nephew. “Taeyong,” she said the name quietly as she stepped forward to take the Omega’s hands in her own. “We worried for you. You were so delayed.” 

Despite her sweetness, Mark felt the atmosphere getting tense. There was a cacophony of fragrant sensations in this room – the vast majority of them artificial or floral. It was almost impossible to smell individual pheromones in the large space – and Mark highly doubted anyone in such a court would be broadcasting any. But Mark knew that you could still catch things if you wanted to. And Omega’s didn’t have much control over what was let out during a heat... even in the very last stages of one. 

And Taeyong was so unbearably close to being finished... a day perhaps at most... 

But he wasn’t done. 

As the aunt moved forward to hug her nephew, even Johnny seemed to tense – his broad shoulders not moving even to breathe as each of Taeyong’s Guard waited for her to pick up on the fact that this princeling had been Soothed through a heat by a stranger. 

And notice, she did. 

Just as expected, the aunt fell silent and motionless as she took note of the abnormality. She paused, inhaling the scent around him once, twice, and then slowly released Taeyong in one graceful, broad movement. Her eyes didn’t even look at him though. Instead, she looked straight to Jaehyun. 

Mark almost stumbled back with the force of the gaze. Jaehyun’s jaw clenched in apprehension, but he didn’t move. 

The party around them continued, but all of the Guard were tense. Wordlessly, the aunt walked over to a group of Alphas to one side of the room and pulled a tall, older Alpha from the circle. She whispered something in his ear and he immediately looked up to Taeyong. 

With no more than a tilt of her head, the aunt beckoned the group to follow her and the elder Alpha into an anteroom. Wordlessly, they passed between the congregation of people to a large doorway on the right wall. 

Mark watched Taeyong and Johnny as they followed obediently behind them. Taeyong looked ethereal and graceful. He slowly untied the jacket from his hips as he walked to appear slightly more formal, and passed it patiently to Johnny who folded it over his forearm with practiced movements. Free of the garment completely, Taeyong seemed to embody even more profound grace. 

Mark was the last to enter the room. As he stepped over the threshold, an attendant still in the main chamber slowly closed a door, sealing them into the new space with the aunt and uncle alone. 

It was a little lighter in here. A few large windows meant more natural light could cascade into the space, but the rainy weather outside – which was quickly developing into a storm – stopped it from feeling at all bright. 

Lucas stayed by Jaehyun’s side. Haechan, with the flowers still arranged prettily in his hair where the aunt had placed them, stayed beside Mark. 

Mark found his presence reassuring in the relative darkness. 

“Explain,” the uncle’s voice was deep and dripped in seriousness. 

Taeyong didn’t move. Alpha calling to Alpha, it was Johnny who stepped forward to recount the events. 

Mark noticed the way Taeyong’s jaw clenched as his head Guard did so. 

“Good afternoon, sir,” Johnny said formally. He was standing beside Taeyong now, their handsome faces in line as the Alpha spoke for both of them. “Due to a storm in the Wilds, we were delayed two days. Taeyong’s heat, which was due to begin the day after our return, came on early, approximately four days ago. We believe there was a miscalculation from his last heat cycle.” The aunt had sat on another, less ornate chair at the front of the room. She tapped the armrest impatiently. The uncle stood in front of Johnny, his strong arms crossed over his chest. 

“Taeyong separated from us and...” Johnny glanced back at Jaehyun and Mark before smoothly speaking on, “...entered an unmapped portal to Earth. On Earth he was found by two unaffiliated Alphas, Jaehyun and Mark, whom we have since taken into custody.” He motioned behind him to the bound Alphas. Mark tensed at the sudden attention. “It is my understanding that Jaehyun Soothed Taeyong through the heat and controlled his exposure to the second Alpha. Following the peak, Jaehyun brought Taeyong back through the portal, at which point we intercepted the three of them. Taeyong, to my knowledge, remains fully unharmed and unclaimed.” Mark looked to Taeyong sharply, embarrassed for him at the content of the clinical account, but Taeyong didn’t move. 

Johnny bowed his head. “I take full responsibility for not monitoring the situation more comprehensively. It was my fault Taeyong was lost. I would, however, request to note that Jaehyun and Mark have been cooperative since our intercept.” 

Jaehyun licked his lips slowly. This was much more support than he’d anticipated having. 

The uncle nodded, and the aunt stood. 

“Taeyong,” she said as she walked closer to her nephew. Omega to Omega. “This is an accurate account?” 

“Johnny is correct, as always auntie,” he responded smoothly. Johnny glanced to him, but Taeyong did not return the gaze. He stood tall; his lithe body strong under the attention of the room. 

“Your heat?” 

“It would not have been bearable without the assistance.” He licked his lips. “I wish to second that both Jaehyun and Mark have been cooperative, and have treated us all with Honour.” 

“That doesn’t change the fact that the behavior of these Alphas is inexcusable,” she said in immediate response. 

Taeyong didn’t falter. “It is not their fault. Jaehyun was only doing what he thought was right. I was unable to divulge any information until after the peak had passed.” 

This was a bit direct, and Taeyong's casual use of Jaehyun's name suggested familiarity that should not have been there. The aunt’s expression began to sour, but the uncle had something else in mind. “Boys,” he said suddenly, his attention piercing as it fell to the rope-bound Alphas at the back of the room. 

Lucas nudged Jaehyun forward, Mark following behind shyly. “Yes sir,” Jaehyun said for both of them, bowing his head. Mark watched and belatedly did the same. 

“Not many wolves find themselves on Earth. Why were you there?” 

Jaehyun brought his head back up, careful to bare his neck softly as he did so. “We are both from the South, sir,” he said calmly, his voice deep and soothing in the stone space. “We fled when the war started.” The aunt looked away. “As Johnny said, the portal was uncharted. We did not know it was still active until Tayeong traveled through it.” 

“And you Soothed him?” 

Jaehyun bowed his head again. “Yes sir.” 

This hung in the air for a moment. As if to observe that other wolves in the same circumstances may not have. 

“Nothing more?” 

“Nothing more, sir.” 

Taeyong seemed to sharpen. Mark could see Johnny glancing to him, trying to communicate something privately, but Taeyong was having none of it. Angry at constantly being talked about rather than talked to, he couldn't help the tone of frustration that entered his voice. “I am completely unharmed, unclaimed and unmated,” he repeated Johnny’s words from the earlier account, but now they were laced with impatience. Though he was still facing the aunt, he was looking at the uncle. “You can check me yourself.” 

The aunt took two paces forward and slapped Taeyong across the face, the impact stinging and audible. 

Taeyong tightened, and Mark saw Johnny’s hand tense in reaction. 

“You _will_ be checked,” she said, icy. “And Johnny _will_ be punished for the incompetence he has displayed on this journey.” 

Taeyong looked up sharply, suddenly more emotional. His whole body – previously so regal and controlled, now exuded stress. “No,” he said. He took a step forward and flinched as Johnny gently grabbed his wrist. One violation of Custom to prevent another. Taeyong didn't move further under the hold, but he didn't relent from speaking. “It wasn’t his fault.” 

“He lost track of his only charge as a heat was coming on – precisely when you are most at risk.” 

“He trusted me,” Taeyong said, his wrist still held by Johnny’s large hand, “and I betrayed that trust, it’s not fair to punish him.” 

“It was reckless that you were so far into the Wilds that you could have stumbled across a dormant portal in the first place, let alone actually go through it with no protection.” Her voice was leaden and unforgiving. “This is more evidence of why we _cannot_ continue to sanction your journeys. It is unproper and only a matter of time before you publicly dishonour yourself with your childish recklessness.” 

“You said I could travel.” Taeyong’s expression soured. “You promised my mother my freedom until I am betrothed.” 

“I cannot honour a promise for a brat who refuses to take his Honour seriously,” her eyes narrowed and her expression became intense and judgmental, “particularly when Honour is the only value you have left.” 

Mark swallowed at the piercing words. He saw Haechan’s jaw clench. 

Taeyong didn’t hesitate. His hands fisted. He stepped forwards, towards his aunt. His voice climbed. “You cannot punish me _or_ my Guard for-” 

“I welcome punishment, Your Grace,” Johnny interrupted. He had projected his voice just the slightest bit, to make it clear to Taeyong that he wasn’t going to back down on this. He spoke to the uncle only. “I was completely at fault and accept reprimand as you deem fit.” He let Taeyong go as the Omega stepped back beside him, his aura flaring with frustration. 

The uncle looked upon Johnny and Taeyong with something distant in his gaze. “You are a good soldier, Johnny,” he said quietly. “Why you insist on continuing to head my nephew’s Guard is beyond me. Your talent would go to much better use in serving me.” 

Taeyong looked at his uncle then with biting aggression, but it only lasted a moment until his aunt stepped between them. “Always lovely to see you Lucas, Haechan,” she said with an eerie smile, her words effectively snapping the exchange closed. “You,” she addressed both Jaehyun and Mark with clean-cut articulation. “You will both need to repay your debt to the House. We will consider how this is best served and notify you in due course. Until then, Lucas, please escort them to the cells by the barracks. Be sure to separate them. The little one by the stables.” 

“Yes, Your Grace.” Lucas bowed his head and placed his hand again on Jaehyun’s bindings. 

“Taeyong," she turned now to her nephew. All semblance of sweetness in her voice dissipated, leaving nothing but flat instruction. "You will go to your rooms immediately. You will not leave until your heat has completely dissipated and the stink of this Alpha with it.” She fixed the Omega with a taught stare. “It will be obvious to everyone that your heat occurred before your return, but we must quash the role of this unknown Alpha.” Taeyong’s jaw clenched at the instruction. “You will not tell anyone that you went through to Earth. This is a shame we shall not shoulder.” 

Taeyong seemed ready to explode; but then something changed. 

Mark couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw something pass between Johnny and Taeyong – a moment of connection. They were standing close. Had Johnny’s hand brushed against Taeyong’s wrist? Whatever it was, in a moment, Taeyong had seemed to deflate. 

“Johnny,” the uncle addressed suddenly. 

“Yes sir.” 

“Accompany Taeyong to his quarters. Make sure he doesn’t leave until this has resolved.” 

Johnny nodded. “Yes sir.” 

Taeyong inhaled deeply. He didn’t say anything, but the sound of his distaste hung in the air like acid. 

“You may leave,” the aunt said to Taeyong. 

Icily, Taeyong bowed his head and immediately turned around. Johnny followed a pace behind him as he walked back towards the doorway through which they’d entered. Lucas gently eased Jaehyun away, but the Alpha needed no direction. He bowed his head and stepped back without hesitation to let Johnny and Taeyong pass. 

But as Taeyong reached him on his way to the door, he stopped. Jaehyun tensed as Taeyong reached out to place his hand on the Alpha’s shoulder. Jaehyun could feel the gaze of the aunt and uncle, and of Johnny, upon him like harsh sunlight. Gently, his movements soft and wraith-like, Taeyong leaned forward to speak into his ear. It was the closest they’d been since Taeyong had been lying half naked in his bed, and it felt like everybody else knew this too. 

“Thank you for your Honour,” he said. 

Jaehyun nodded as Taeyong moved away, proud that even with the heat and his own pheromones from the Soothing lingering in Taeyong’s scent – so clear from such proximity – he didn’t so much as flinch. And besides, he got the not-so-subtle feeling that the comment had been made by Taeyong much more for the ire of those watching. 

As Johnny followed Taeyong out of the room, his eyes connected with Jaehyun’s seriously. A fire could be lit by the emotion in them. 


	8. Chapter 8

# Chapter Eight

Taeyong said a short goodbye to the others before walking with Johnny towards his rooms in the main house. Despite the chill, he hadn’t returned the black coat to his shoulders. Rain was pouring from the sky in a sudden deluge. On the way, it soaked through his grey shirt and made it stick slick to his skin. 

“I’ll be back down tonight,” Johnny had shouted to be heard by the others over the din of rain before he jogged to catch up with Taeyong. 

Mark tried not to be too self-conscious as Lucas led them with Haechan from the main building across the courtyard and into the forested maze of structures beyond, but it was difficult not to feel as though they were being watched. It was still raining, and the chill in the air penetrated Mark’s bones as they passed between large trees and ornate, stone structures. With his hands still bound, he couldn’t even shield his eyes from the deluge. 

Despite the weather, there were still people going about their business between the array of buildings – most of them running to avoid the icy rain. Most of them were all dressed in the thick black Mark had come to associate with Haechan, Johnny and Lucas. The uniform of the Guard. 

Jaehyun stayed silent and walked with quiet dignity behind Lucas until they got to their destination. 

The barracks as a whole was a large area of sprawling buildings with cascading spaces for training in different disciplines that collapsed in on one another. In the lingering rainstorm, the spaces were mostly empty, giving the area an aura of desolation and solemnity that suited Jaehyun’s seriousness. Lucas took them out to a more secluded part of the complex, closer to the forest and higher on the sharp rake of the mountainside. But before long, Lucas regrettably had to split the two Alpha’s apart. 

“Sorry guys,” he said as Jaehyun licked his lips slowly – it seemed his patience was close to breaking. “We have to put you in cells now. But hopefully this will just be until the heat’s gone.” Rain cascaded around them. “Haechan will take Mark to the cells down by the stables.” 

“He’ll be fed?” Jaehyun asked seriously of Lucas before Mark could be led away. “Warm?” 

Lucas nodded. “I’m assuming it will only be until Taeyong is checked, then we should be able to put you guys somewhere better.” 

Jaehyun turned to Mark. He didn’t touch him – his hands still bound awkwardly in front of him. But he did pause for a moment. “Remember what we spoke about, Mark.” 

Mark nodded. Secrecy was in his blood. 

“See you soon.” 

* * *

Haechan’s brow furrowed as he untied Mark’s hands. This was reminding him eerily of the first night they had met, and already it felt like so much time had passed since then. 

This time, Mark wasn’t nearly as flinchy. He stayed calm and still, aside from a slight shiver with the cold, as Haechan slowly undid the binding. Again, the room was wooden and small and dark, but the endless ambient hum of rainfall felt like cozy static against the strangeness of the situation. 

“Will you be alright here?” Haechan asked as he finally pulled the rope free of Mark’s wrists. 

Mark tenderly pressed his fingers against each wrist in turn, checking the state of his skin as he absently looked around the room. Then he ran his fingers through his wet hair. “It’ll be fine,” he said, unsure. They both knew there was no option. “Just cold.” 

Mark watched as, with graceful movements, Haechan took the wreath of flowers from his hair and set it on the small table by the doorway. His expression was complex. 

“The flowers looked pretty,” Mark said, because he felt like he had to say something. 

Haechan glanced over his shoulder at Mark. His expression was weary. “Taeyong’s aunt always gives me something like that. They’re to remind me what I am,” he said darkly. “That I’m still just an Omega.” 

Mark frowned and swallowed. He glanced at the flowers again. They suddenly looked like shackles. “Oh.” He murmured. 

Haechan turned around. Mark thought he was leaving, but he didn’t step away. He startled slightly as he saw Haechan slip his coat off his shoulders, leaving him in just his black undershirt. His skin looked pale and supple beneath the cotton, and Mark flushed with second-hand pain at the cool that must have settled on his skin with the weight of the jacket gone. 

But then Haechan held the coat out to Mark, the thick material still damp on the outside from the rain. 

Mark reached out with want, but hesitated before his fingers touched the cloth. He remembered the last time Haechan had offered him a coat. He hadn’t taken it because he’d doubted he would have been able to handle the scent lurking in its stitching. This time, he _knew_ that he would struggle. His cheeks flushed slightly with the thought of it. 

Yet still, the jab of desire that moved through him was impossible to ignore. 

“Don’t you need it?” Mark asked hesitantly. He couldn’t look Haechan in the eye. 

Haechan shook his head. “I sleep in the main house near Taeyong. Fireplace and everything,” he smirked, but it was hollow. His eyes were alight with focused attention that contrasted with his blasé tone. “I’ll be fine.” 

Mark didn’t move. 

Haechan rolled his eyes and shook the cloth a little. “Don’t be an idiot, Mark,” he said, his voice laced with teasing bite. “You’ll freeze without it.” 

Mark licked his lips, unable to indulge in comedy as he hesitantly took the material from Haechan’s hands. 

He hesitated, but in Haechan’s calm, he then proceeded to open up the jacket and slip the heavy garment over his arms. 

It was still warm. 

Mark’s entire body seemed to relax as the coat made contact with his skin. He closed his eyes and, showing no self-control, hummed a deep note of relief. He slipped the coat further on his body and felt a shiver of calm wash over him as the warm cloth settled on his shoulders, chest and back, encasing him in comfort. 

He inhaled softly and belatedly realised it wasn’t just the lingering warmth of Haechan's body in the garment that was doing this. He didn’t open his eyes, lest they betray his fierce drunkenness. It felt like the first time he’d smelt Haechan. The same stab of blind pleasure and desire entered his blood and loosened his thoughts. 

“It... um... it smells like you,” he said quietly, his voice husky. He could feel heat on his cheeks. 

Haechan shifted in front of him. Was he uncomfortable? Mark couldn’t tell. “Well, I mean... it is mine.” 

“Is it okay that I wear it?” Mark glanced up now. As his eyes connected with Haechan’s he felt a strange pull tether them. It was obvious the Omega could see the unfocused edge to his gaze. 

He remembered the first time he’d smelt Haechan, when he’d also been placed alone in a cold cell in the Wilds. He was taken back there for a moment, his mind reaching into memory and blurring it with the real. But this time he knew who Haechan was. He knew what the Omega’s voice sounded like, the way he smiled, that he liked sunlight and fresh air and hunting and breaking rules. This time, it wasn’t just the brief touch of fingers on his wrist, or the slight edge of a scent Haechan had intentionally let escape. This time he was surrounded by Haechan’s warmth and natural, unconscious smell. 

It didn’t help that Haechan seemed to be blushing in the darkness either. 

“Yeah, course it’s okay,” Haechan said as he cleared his throat. “Don’t make it weird,” he laughed, but it was hollow. “You shouldn’t be left out here to freeze without so much as a jacket.” 

“Thanks,” Mark said, but his voice was still breathy. “I really... thanks.” 

“No problem,” Haechan said. He rubbed his hands together for a moment and smiled because there was nothing else to do. “I’m... I’m getting cold now.” He laughed awkwardly and Mark smiled too. “I have to go – but I’ll come back to um, to check on you later...” 

“Okay,” Mark said as he crossed his arms over his chest. As he moved in the garment, a new waft of Haechan’s scent reached him – clear and bright and mellowing. He cleared his throat, but startled as it seemed to come out as more of a groan. 

“Bye,” Haechan said from the doorway. 

Mark winced and nodded. 

Haechan slipped out of the room and shut the door before Mark could open his eyes again. As soon as he was gone, Mark fell back against the wall and inhaled deeply. He felt warmth rise onto his cheeks as the scent coated his lungs. 

He had never felt so warm before in his life. 

* * *

Johnny was tense as he followed Taeyong into the castle. The grey skies were dramatic and shadowed as they rumbled with thunder above them. 

Sometimes Johnny felt as if the world was a mirror by which to reflect Taeyong’s mood. The Omega held ethereal power – a grace and presence that made people _see_ him, that made them _look_. Sometimes Johnny felt as though the world itself could see Taeyong too. That oceans would part for this Omega, or that skies would split with lightning to honour his want for destruction. 

But today it was rain. Barraging, numbing, graying rain casting the world in hues of shadow. As Johnny braced himself against the cold air, he felt his mind steel itself against Taeyong’s mood alike. They were back in Elden and encased by its rules, duties and bluestone walls. 

The sentries at the main door to the wing stood forward to vet the entrants, but as soon as Taeyong was close enough for them to recognize his striking features, they stepped back in immediate subservience. 

“Welcome back, Your Grace,” one of them said as Taeyong moved past them without so much as glancing in his direction. Johnny watched the soldier’s cheeks flush. 

Many of the watchers were obsessive and superstitious about Taeyong, such was the attention that radiated around the otherworldly Omega. But today in particular, Taeyong looked unusually unkempt and informal. His thin, grey shirt was sheer with wetness; alluringly revealing as it clung to his lithe body in the rain. 

Quickly, the soldiers’ attention switched to Johnny. The tall Alpha looked foreboding in his heavy, black uniform. “Welcome back, sir.” 

Johnny nodded to them in turn, but didn’t break his pace. “Make sure no one enters, please. All traffic is checked through me.” 

The soldiers nodded; their expressions serious. “Yes sir.” 

Johnny didn’t struggle to keep up with Taeyong’s pace down the long hall. Despite the Omega’s impatient, foxlike agility, Johnny was taller and stronger. He walked calmly behind Taeyong, his long strides unhurried, until they had reached the door to his rooms on the upper level. Another sentry stood in the stone hallway by the entrance, but as soon as she saw Johnny approaching, she left her post and walked swiftly back down the corridor – relieved of her duty in the presence of the higher-ranking Alpha. 

Taeyong opened the door and stepped over the threshold into his private rooms without so much as a flicker of emotion. He left the heavy oak door open behind him to allow Johnny to follow him in. 

Johnny hesitated at the door, glancing down the long, empty hallway before stepping into the private space. It was unbecoming to enter this place while Taeyong was still on the last edge of a heat, but Taeyong had no such concern. The fact that they had known each other since before they had Presented also softened the rules between them. 

Johnny stepped silently into the large room and quietly closed the door behind him. As soon as it clicked shut, Taeyong’s veneer of iciness seemed to crack and his body tensed in aggression and frustration. His hands balled into fists at his sides. 

“Do you want your jacket?” Johnny asked quietly as he leaned back against the door he’d just closed. Just as Taeyong had shifted into honesty, letting his face fall to sincere emotion in their privacy, Johnny too felt the weight of observation shed from his shoulders, like the formalities of the entire journey could ease in a room so familiar and private. 

Taeyong looked up at him sharply, his dark eyes fiery from above reddened cheeks. He grabbed the coat brashly and threw it on the lounge in the corner with a grunt of frustration. “This is fucking ridiculous.” 

Johnny looked at Taeyong with concern. “You must be freezing. You’re soaked.” 

Taeyong’s gaze dropped to his own body. He picked at the sopping, thin cotton of his shirt and pulled it away from his skin for a moment. All it did was pull the garment tighter against him elsewhere. Wordlessly he walked through an archway into the adjoining room. Johnny slowly followed him, his heavy boots thudding softly against the stone floor. 

He turned the corner and sharply faltered back a step. Taeyong had stripped his shirt off completely, the thin garment in a pile of rainwater in the corner of the decorative carpet, and was rifling through a draw for something warm and dry. His lithe torso was tense with resistance to the cold, the arch of his spine sculptural against the rise of his shoulder blades and the ripple of his ribcage. 

Johnny swallowed and looked away, but he didn’t leave. 

“It’s unfair,” the Omega said, his voice acidic, as he pulled a dark, clean jumper over his head. He ran his hands through his hair and waited for the Alpha to look at him. 

“It isn’t,” Johnny countered calmly as they looked at each other. 

“Fuck off, it isn’t.” Taeyong ran his fingers through his damp hair again and pushed the heel of his hand against his eye. “They can’t lock me up forever. It’s not right that they use this against us. We don’t deserve to be punished for this.” 

Johnny watched Taeyong with patience. “It was my fault,” he said after a moment. “I should have known where you were. It’s literally my _job_ to know where you are.” 

“I asked for space and you gave it to me.” Taeyong countered, but his voice had lost its fire. His eyes had been drawn to the window in the corner. The storm had settled slightly – just hounding rain from purple skies remained. “I thought it was also your job to do what I ask.” 

Johnny wanted to reach out, to say something. Taeyong suddenly looked so alone. “It is difficult to walk that line sometimes,” he said with a soft smile that didn’t reach his eyes. 

Taeyong didn’t return the expression. 

Johnny didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t speak. 

Taeyong sighed and ran his hands through his hair again. He looked emotional and tired. He walked sharply towards the large bed at the other side of the chamber and sat down with a loud grunt of effort. He put his elbows on his knees and hung his head low, as if all the energy he had was rolling off his body at once. 

Johnny clenched his jaw as he watched Taeyong’s back slowly inflate. “Are you okay?” he asked after a moment. 

Taeyong didn’t respond. 

Johnny licked his lips and walked closer. He tried to consciously shed the aura of formality that had clouded him since he’d lost Taeyong in the woods all those days earlier. He swallowed as he stopped in front of the Omega. Taeyong’s hair looked soft, though it was still damp at the roots. He watched as a drop slid slowly out of the hair at the top of his neck and down the slope of his porcelain skin to disappear under the sharp edge of his jaw. 

“Are you alright?” He asked again. “Really?” 

Taeyong hummed something non-committal and looked up. His eyes were dark and emotional. “I’m just so fucking tired.” 

Johnny felt his chest ache. Ignoring all the teachings, he stepped forwards again so that he could reach out to gently touch the hair that had fallen across Taeyong’s angular features. Carefully, he brushed some strands back from the Omega’s brow, his fingers lingering against the smooth, soft skin. 

“You did really well.” Johnny said, his deep voice almost a whisper. “I’m sorry I forgot how hard this has been for you.” He swept his fingers gently through Taeyong’s hair, pretending not to notice the way that goosebumps gently rose where his fingers passed. 

Taeyong exhaled, the breath low and unsteady, and shifted slightly on the bed. Johnny went to step back, but Taeyong shook his head before he could move. 

With one hand, Taeyong gently grasped the edge of Johnny’s thick coat and pulled him a little closer, so that he was standing well within his reach. Wordlessly, Taeyong leaned forwards until his forehead was resting against Johnny’s abdomen. He shut his eyes and breathed into the warmth of his body – the heat of it was radiating even through layers of warm, dark clothing. 

“Tae-” 

“Just for a second.” Taeyong breathed against Johnny’s torso. He moved his hands so that they were resting lightly against the Alpha’s legs. “I’ve been in pain for four days straight and I’m so tired I feel like I might die if I fall asleep.” 

Johnny licked his lips. The heat was still there. Barely an undercurrent, soft but present. Perhaps this was alright? Perhaps it was fine to offer Taeyong this moment of relief. 

Slowly he forced himself to relax. He moved one hand to Taeyong’s shoulder, the soft cloth of his dry jumper a welcome change to the sting of cool air, and he ran the other back through the Omega’s hair. Taeyong shifted gratefully against him, nuzzling for a moment into his warmth and familiar musk. The bed sighed beneath him as he pressed forward against Johnny’s standing figure. 

“Taeyong-” 

“I remember when we were kids,” Taeyong hummed, his voice dreamlike, “you would let me fall asleep against you when it was cold.” 

Johnny smiled despite his reservations and moved his hand through Taeyong’s hair again. This time he kept his hand against the Omega’s neck and stroked the smooth skin with his thumb, as if gently imparting whatever warmth he could, letting him know he wasn’t going to rush their parting. “It was a good deal,” Johnny spoke softly, as if to a child falling into sleep. “I got cold too, you know.” 

There was silence for a moment. Taeyong’s breath was so steady against his abdomen that Johnny almost thought he’d fallen asleep there. “I fucking hate this.” Taeyong almost groaned against Johnny’s body. Johnny could feel the voice rumbling through the Omega’s neck. 

“I’m sorry you’re in pain.” Johnny said, his deep voice genuine. 

Taeyong shifted again and wrapped his arms loosely around Johnny’s hips. “It’s alright. I’m just tired now.” 

“I forgot how cuddly you get when you’re tired.” 

“Shut up.” 

Johnny smiled, comfortable in the familiar repartee. “I’ll ask them to light a fire,” he said as he continued to stroke Taeyong’s neck. “They’ll probably want to check you first though.” 

“Can you tell them to fuck off?” 

Johnny didn’t say anything. 

“I’ll tell them to fuck off then.” 

Johnny smirked. “Please don’t.” 

Taeyong inhaled deeply, and Johnny carefully attended to his own functions to ensure none of his own scent was being inadvertently released in their proximity. 

“Can you tell Haechan he can come and see me if he wants?” Taeyong asked as he slowly brought his hands back from Johnny’s body. “That should be fine, right?” 

Johnny nodded as Taeyong slowly moved away from him. A slightly reddened spot of skin on his otherwise pale face marked where he had been pressed against Johnny’s clothes. “I think so.” 

Taeyong’s eyes looked sad and numb. Johnny’s hand moved as Taeyong’s head did, so that as they looked at each other, his large hand ended up cupping the Omega’s face. As Taeyong opened his mouth, Johnny felt the edge of his lip shift under his thumb. He stared at it longingly for a moment. Softly, he ran the pad of his thumb over the edge of Taeyong’s mouth. 

Taeyong’s cheeks darkened slightly. In his dark eyes, a subtle glimmer of hope appeared. 

Johnny looked away. He knew he had to stop this. 

“I’m sorry,” Johnny whispered. A moment passed, then two, and then he slowly brought back his hand. Reflexively he flattened the material of his jumper, his body aching where Taeyong had pressed against him. 

Taeyong swallowed and shifted back onto his bed as they parted, disappointed but not surprised. 

Johnny stepped back gently. Distance and formality resumed. “I’ll tell them to light a fire and bring some food.” 

Taeyong nodded as he lay down. 

“Do you want to get under the covers?” 

“I want to sleep until I die.” 

Johnny’s expression ticked into a wry smirk at the hopelessness of the expression. “I’ll tell them not to wake you.” 

Taeyong, his eyes already closed, furrowed his brows. “Where are you going?” 

“I’m going to check on the others, and I’ll tell Haechan he can come if he wants to.” 

Taeyong nodded and curled in on himself. “Come and check on me too please,” he murmured. 

Johnny blinked and resisted the urge to touch the Omega again. “Of course.” 

* * *

Johnny had a few things to do. He had to check in with the barracks reception, as per any returning Guard company. He had to lodge a report for the delayed return, check-in his extraneous weapons and he had to go down to the mess to eat. He found the service-hand and kindly requested they light a fire in Taeyong’s rooms. He advised that the Omega would likely be sleeping after the journey, but that he’d be in the bed chamber so they should feel free to enter and light the fire in the greeting room. He spoke with the soldier stationed outside Taeyong’s door and told her to not let any visitors in until he returned. Then he went to his own rooms, down the hall and around a corner from Taeyong’s private quarters, and got changed into his regular attire. Something warmer and more suited to the weather, and most of all _dry_. 

As he pulled off his coat and aged black sweater to change into something clean and dry, he carefully oriented the garment he’d been wearing in his hands until the portion that had been on his abdomen was pulled taught in front of his face. Blushing, he slowly brought the cloth to his nose and inhaled. 

His head swam for just a moment as an echo of sweet warmth surrounded his senses. Taeyong’s scent... Taeyong’s scent in _heat_. 

He licked his lips and threw the garments in the corner to take to the washrooms before quickly dressing in his clean clothes. 

His first job after his regular items of business was to find Lucas and Haechan. 

Haechan’s rooms were in the main building – such was the status of a soldier from a Noble coastal House, and such was the allowance for an Omega in his position. But Johnny was willing to hazard a guess that the Omega wasn’t going to be there. 

Instead of looking in Haechan’s rooms, Johnny went straight out to the barracks. It was still raining, but he was more prepared this time. His fresh clothes trapped the heat around his body, and his quick strides moved him through the thick trees and buildings smoothly in the fading afternoon light. 

“Welcome back, Johnny,” one of the other squad leaders greeted as she walked past him. 

He nodded politely and walked on. 

Lucas lived in one of the permanent dormitories on the far side of the training galleries. As an Alpha from an unknown family who had come to the Guard for work, he was only provisioned quarters in one of the many old barracks buildings outside the castle, but he had snagged a bed in one of the nicer, more secluded cabins set into the hillside. What the area lacked in homeliness and warmth, it made up for in convenience. It was close to most places the group of them needed to access, and it was a great way to encourage some crossover with the other factions of the Guard in Elden. 

Indeed, Haechan spent much of his discretionary time there. Johnny didn’t always like the fact he did this. Haechan, after all, while technically permitted there, was breaching some informal Custom by spending time in the residence of Alphas. But Lucas was always with him, and people knew better than to gossip about wolves so close to Taeyong.

Johnny stepped into the small building where Lucas resided without subtlety. Given the time and the weather, the whole area was mostly deserted. Lucas was sitting on the floor and Haechan lay on his bed. The two seemed to be talking about something animatedly. As Johnny walked closer, he was unsurprised to find out it was a semi-heated debate on archery form. 

“Hey,” he greeted softly.

Lucas smiled in acknowledgment, and Haechan sat up quickly. 

“Johnny~” Haechan sang as he sat cross-legged and put his hands down in front of him. He had changed into something more comfortable too – something less branded to the Guard and more suitable for his Omega status – lighter coloured and soft. “How is he?” 

Johnny glanced around before leaning back against the stone wall. “Tired and pissed off. But otherwise fine.” 

Lucas nodded contemplatively. “I forgot how tired he must be feeling right now.” 

“Hm,” Johnny hummed, “me too.” He turned to Haechan. “He’s going to be in lockdown until the heat goes, but he said you could come visit if you want.” 

Haechan smiled and nodded, but he seemed to take this invitation as more of a direction. Johnny didn’t quite understand why, but sometimes Omegas knew these kinds of things. “I’ll definitely go,” he said quietly. “When does he want me there?” 

“He’s sleeping now, I think.” 

Haechan nodded, as if to release Johnny’s involvement. “That’s fine. I’ll head up later.” 

The Alpha exhaled deeply. “How are the prisoners?” He said this with an edge of comedy, but neither Haechan nor Lucas smiled. 

“Cold, I think.” Haechan said. 

Lucas nodded. “That, and Jaehyun’s a bit impatient.” 

Johnny appraised the younger Alpha with a touch of impatience himself. “Hm." He pursed his lips as he looked at Lucas’s face, observing him somewhat suspiciously. “Well, he’ll have to deal with that.” 

“What’s going to happen to them, Johnny?” Haechan asked suddenly. “Can we keep them?” he was smiling, clearly enjoying speaking about the two Alphas like pets. 

Johnny didn’t laugh, but something about the display was cute despite the cunning cheekiness of it. “You heard Taeyong’s aunt; they’ll have to serve the House for a while,” he acquiesced. 

“In the Guard?” Haechan asked, hopeful. 

“Depends if they have any skills, I suppose.” Johnny crossed his arms over his broad chest and tapped the edge of his boot against the floor mindlessly. 

“Jaehyun is skilled,” Lucas said gently, as if he’d consciously appraised whether or not to share this information. 

Both Haechan and Johnny looked to him seriously. “Oh?” Johnny’s voice was leaden. 

Lucas nodded, hesitant. “Jaehyun is the best swordsman I’ve ever met.” 

“You’ve met _me_ ,” Haechan said with humoured bite. But his tone was clearly in jest. Haechan, while skilled with a sword, was nothing on Johnny. Lucas laughed uneasily, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Johnny’s tense disposition was tangible. 

The elder Alpha’s jaw clenched. “How do you know this guy, Lucas?” 

Lucas glanced at Johnny and quickly looked away. “I um... I’d be happy to talk about it with him there. If you want.” 

Johnny pushed himself from the wall immediately, terse with the intention to act on this now. “Let’s go and check on him then.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey fam! How are we feeling after Gimme Gimme!?!?
> 
> I hope you're enjoying the fic so far. We're slowly getting through it! I'm hoping to smash out some more chapters soon, so stay tuned. 
> 
> Thanks as always for the support - let me know what you think :) 
> 
> ~Ahnohn


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'll be back soon with another update to keep things moving. Very excited to share where things are headed. Thanks heaps for the kudos and the comments - it's always so great to hear from you!
> 
> Catch you soon,  
> ~ahnohn

# Chapter Nine

Jaehyun flinched as he heard the door to the cell unlock.

It had only been a few hours, but with the boredom and worry, it felt like days. He was tired, his wrists were a little sore from the rope that had bound them, but it was hunger that refused to release his attention.

As the door to the stark room opened, Jaehyun inhaled with desire as the smell of hot soup wafted tantalizingly into the enclosed space. 

Lucas looked focused as he carried the steaming bowl and a torn piece of crusty bread uneasily into the room. Behind him, Haechan and Johnny walked in as well. Haechan shut the door with a dull click. 

“Hey, brought you something,” Lucas smiled. 

Jaehyun nodded in greeting to Johnny and Haechan as he shuffled closer to Lucas. He took the bowl gratefully and sniffed the broth with a rumbling stomach. “I’ve never been so happy to see hot food in my life.” 

The obvious exaggeration made Lucas smile and Haechan snicker, but as Jaehyun began eating, Johnny’s expression remained fixed in appraisal. 

“Thanks for this,” Jaehyun said as silence settled. He dunked the bread and took a bite, feeling his chest relax as the warmth of the broth entered him. 

Lucas didn’t respond. 

There was tension in the room. Haechan looked a little uncomfortable with it. 

When Johnny spoke, his voice was serious. “Lucas tells me you’re good with a sword.” 

Jaehyun stopped eating for a moment and swallowed his mouthful slowly. He licked his lips and glanced to Lucas before returning his gaze to Johnny. “He might be exaggerating,” he said cautiously, “but I’ve trained in it.” 

Johnny nodded and decided not to waste any more time. “They’re going to get you and Mark to serve the house as repayment for your transgression,” he said deeply, fixing the younger Alpha with a stare. “You heard them today – it’s likely to be labor or the Guard. Taeyong could have some sway in this, try and get you accepted into Guard service. But first, I need to know what kind of people we’d be backing.” He crossed his arms over his chest and flexed his biceps a little as Jaehyun put down the bowl of food. “How do you and Lucas know each other?” 

Again, Jaehyun looked to Lucas, as if to seek consent for the conversation that was about to happen. Lucas nodded and looked away. 

Jaehyun licked his lips and cleared his throat. He had rehearsed a version of the truth. A safe version. “We were both in the South, a few years ago,” he said plainly. “We were stationed in the Guards of the heirs and claimants. Neither of us are from nobility or wealth. We crossed paths a few times, and when the war started, we each fled.” Jaehyun shifted the bowl in front of him slightly, his hunger abated with the seriousness of the Alpha before him. “I took Mark and went to Earth. Lucas rode inland and ended up in Elden.” 

“You fled the war?” Johnny pressed. 

Jaehyun inhaled and glanced to Haechan, seeing youthful naivety in his eyes. As he looked back at Johnny, he found no such light in the Alpha’s tense gaze. Johnny was asking about his duty. Why he abandoned it when the war started. For a Guard, this was unacceptable. 

And so, Jaehyun told the truth. “Allegiances are worthless when those you serve are corrupt.” 

Johnny considered this silently for a moment. “Mark was in the Guard there too?” 

Jaehyun shook his head. He felt tense, but he knew when not to lie. “No, he was too young. But he trained. He only Presented as the war came on." Jaehyun shrugged. “I taught him what I could on Earth. He’s got ability.” 

Johnny looked to Lucas. “You were both in the war?” The implications of this were many. 

Lucas shrugged. “We both _fled_ the war,” he corrected gently. “Neither of us were involved in it.” 

Haechan listened to the account with some wonder. “They say that the family – the ones who started it – that they’re cursed. That they lived in the dark and ate people.” Haechan’s eyes were wide. “I even heard that the people close to them caught it – that everyone involved in that war is cursed.” It sounded like he meant for this to observe something about the people who believed it, but it sounded like he was treating the idea with some reverence himself. 

“Good thing we weren’t involved then.” Lucas smiled at Haechan with some teasing. 

“They were Pure Bloods, right? The House you served?" Johnny's voice was deep. "The ones with black eyes and fangs?” 

Jaehyun glanced at Lucas. While it still had the ring of legend, both the younger Alphas knew this was more grounded in truth. 

“I was affiliated with the Pure Blood House, but my loyalty was hollow.” Jaehyun’s voice was quiet and leaden as he spoke to Johnny. “I find no shame in my actions there,” he said seriously. “The day the war began was the day the world was purged of darkness it needed to do without.” He looked at Haechan. “The curses are gone.” 

Haechan licked his lips. Cool against his skin was the fact that in Jaehyun proclaiming their safety from the curses now, he’d agreed with the assertion they were there at all. 

Johnny nodded, hearing enough. But Lucas was watching Jaehyun’s face carefully. He knew a lie when he heard one. He knew now that the darkness lived on in one, even if Jaehyun attested to the fact the teenager was free of it. 

“Thank you for your honesty, Jaehyun.” Johnny said contemplatively. “Take care, tonight. We've got to head back.” 

“Please,” Jaehyun said suddenly. He clenched his fist. “Please don’t let them send us to labor.” He looked up at Johnny with emotion fierce in his eyes. “I trust Lucas. And if he trusts you and Taeyong, that’s enough reason for us to do the same.” 

Johnny considered this seriously for a moment before nodding. “I’ll ask to have you tested for entry to the Guard. Taeyong is in support of this. See you tomorrow.” 

* * *

Mark almost yelped as the lock on the small room opened with a loud click. He had been on the verge of sleep. His mind had been lulled into a cozy dream-like state by the warmth and scent in the jacket he wore, but the sudden sign of company shocked him to instant awareness – like he had been dunked in ice. 

He sat up, his heart pounding beneath Haechan’s coat, as the door swung slowly open with a loud creak. 

“Hey buddy,” Lucas’s deep voice greeted with a smile as he appeared from the hall. He was holding a bowl of soup and a piece of bread. 

It was dark, well into the night by now, and Mark had completely forgotten until that moment that he was ravenously hungry. He stood quickly, gratefully accepting the bowl as soon as Lucas was within reach. His body felt like it was glowing. 

“Oh man,” he grunted. “Thanks so much.” He took a large bite of the bread without even waiting to hear a response. “How are you?” 

Lucas laughed in surprise at the teen’s energy – chaotic and uncharacteristic. 

Behind him, Johnny and Haechan walked into the room. 

Mark nodded at Johnny with reverence, and then froze as Haechan appeared behind him. The young Omega leaned against the door until it clicked shut, sealing them all in the small space. 

Mark cleared his throat, choking a little on his bread, before managing to nod a small greeting to Haechan. He couldn’t see anything else. He couldn’t smell anything else either. “Hey.” 

Haechan smiled despite himself. “Hi.” 

“You alright, Mark?” Lucas asked as he directed Mark to sit on the small cot at the edge of the room. 

Mark nodded mindlessly as he swallowed his piece of bread and sat with an ungraceful grunt. “Um, yeah, thanks. Really good.” He could feel his breathing getting a bit short with all of them in the room... or maybe it was just Haechan he was responding to... he couldn’t really tell anything anymore. Why was everything so hazy? Had he always felt like this? 

His eyes glanced to Haechan, who seemed to be watching him with some investment. His eyes were so pretty. His skin looked so soft. 

Johnny frowned. “Where did you get that Guard coat, Mark?” 

Mark blinked back to Johnny and swallowed. He looked down at his torso sharply as the question reverberated around him. 

Immediately Lucas did the same to himself, to see that his own coat, which Mark had borrowed during their trip, was still against his body. “It’s not mine,” he said unhelpfully. 

Johnny rolled his eyes at the supremely unhelpful input of information. But he didn’t waste time with reprimand. He already knew who’s coat this was. Where before Mark had been drowning in Lucas’s jacket, this one fit the teenager snugly. It was, if anything, just the slightest bit too small. 

Immediately Johnny looked to Haechan, who seemed to have shrunk against the door. 

Lucas, a bit slower, stared at Mark blankly for a moment before making the connection and sharply directing his knowing stare at the Omega. Disbelief was thick in his eyes. “It’s _yours_?” 

Haechan lowered his head under the sharply accusing gaze of the two Alphas before him. 

Mark blushed as he took another small bite of the bread. He was glad to have the attention focused elsewhere. 

“I... he was _cold,_ ” Haechan said defensively. “And I didn’t need it.” 

“No wonder he looks drunk,” Johnny said as they all turned back to Mark at the same time. “He’s not used to Omegas, Haechan – you knew this would have an effect on him.” 

Lucas chuckled darkly, clearly finding considerable entertainment in the young Alpha’s comfort. “You’re mean, Haechan.” 

Mark blushed deeper and swallowed his mouthful uneasily. 

“It’s not like he has to do anything right now,” Haechan said in sharp retort. “He was going to be cold otherwise.” 

“You are totally enjoying this.” Lucas said to Haechan with a booming laugh echoing from his masculine body. 

“Shut up, I am not.” Haechan crossed his arms. But as he looked at Mark’s face – flushed with warmth and the telltale signs of slight daze, he couldn’t deny that he found some sense of accomplishment in his scent being responsible for the shift. 

“I can’t deal with this right now,” Johnny sighed in frustration. He covered his face with his hands and exhaled impatiently. 

“Sorry Johnny,” Haechan said, but it was shaped with an edge of deviousness that Johnny didn’t appreciate. 

“You will be when I make you wear that jacket during an entire drill session tomorrow morning _after_ Mark has slept in it all night.” Johnny bit back quickly. 

Haechan swallowed and licked his lips. His face flushed at the thought. 

He knew that if he had to wear the jacket straight after Mark had worn it for an entire night... to have his unrestrained Alpha scent around him, and then to have to strategize and exert physical performance with the aroma numbing his senses and clouding his brain... just the thought of it made him dizzy. Let alone the shame of the influence being drawn from biological circumstances out of his control... 

It was a sore point for Haechan, and it snapped him back from his snarky irreverence. 

“Sorry, Johnny,” he said again, this time without the attitude. 

Mark glanced up and looked into Haechan’s eyes with vicarious apology at the situation, but Haechan shook his head in negation. 

“Well, there’s no point talking to him now.” Johnny sighed as he watched Mark take a sip of the broth, his cheeks pink. 

“Talking to me about what?” Mark asked, trying to present his most rational and lucid mind. It didn’t really work, all he could really focus on was Haechan, but the attempt was notable. 

“You’ve trained in sword fighting?” Lucas pressed, trying to make use of the brief opportunity for confirmation. 

Mark nodded and took another mouthful of food. “Yeah. Jaehyun taught me.” 

“Archery?” Johnny asked, deciding a brief interrogation might be worth it. 

Mark nodded again. “A little.” 

“Horse riding?” Johnny asked. 

"Yes - I’m good at that one.” 

Lucas looked to Johnny and shrugged in compliance. He seemed to tick the boxes. 

“Will you be alright here overnight kid?” Johnny asked in a rare moment of concern. 

Mark nodded and smiled. “I’m so warm... I’ll be fine.” He blushed as soon as he said this. 

So did Haechan. 

Lucas snickered at the display, and Johnny couldn’t even hold back a smirk. “You take that coat off if you need a breather, okay kid?” 

Mark didn’t seem to comprehend what Johnny was saying, but nodded anyway. 

“See you in the morning, Mark,” Lucas said as he left the room. 

Haechan seemed to want to hang back, but Johnny refused to exit the small space until the Omega had gone out before him. 

Stuck between the doorway and Johnny’s imposing façade, Haechan looked back and gave Mark a small wave. “Bye.” 

Mark licked his lips. “Bye,” he murmured. 

Then he was alone. 

* * *

Soon after, Haechan left the barracks with Johnny so that he could visit Taeyong in his rooms. The walk back from Mark’s cell was brusque and tense. Haechan was still a little flushed from the encounter, and Johnny was still enjoying the fact that Haechan – for _once_ – seemed the slightest bit embarrassed with himself. 

They walked into the castle via a side entrance and up a long, stone staircase in silence. The soldiers minding the gateways bowed to each of them. 

“Are you angry, Johnny?” Haechan asked quietly as they walked up to the floor of Taeyong’s rooms. 

Johnny rolled his shoulders, surprised to hear no note of cunning in the Omega’s voice. “I’m not angry," he said as they rounded a corner onto the next flight of stairs. “It was just pretty stupid to give him your jacket, don’t you think?” 

Haechan inhaled and put his hands in his pockets as he followed the Alpha up the stone staircase. “I guess.” 

As they aproached, Johnny nodded to the guard by Taeyong’s door for a report. The sentry bowed to him formally before speaking. 

“Fire was lit at sundown, sir. They only went into the reception room.” 

“Food?” Johnny asked as Haechan put his hand on the door mindlessly. 

“Left in the reception chamber, sir. Only one of the Old House elders has been into the bedroom to, um, check him sir.” 

Johnny nodded. “Thanks. You’re relieved.” 

The soldier bowed and walked purposefully back down the stone corridor, the sound of his footsteps slowly dissipating to silence. 

“It’s so dark up here,” Haechan whispered as they were left alone. 

Johnny didn’t say anything. He put his hand on the handle and pushed the large door to Taeyong’s rooms open with a grumbled exhalation of effort. 

Warmth immediately cascaded around them. The large fireplace was alive with orange flame. Haechan immediately went over to the radiating heat and held out his hands. 

Johnny shut the door behind him with a clank and drew the curtains on the large windows. On his way, he noted fresh water and two warm plates of food – entree and main – had been placed on the counter between the windows. 

Everything looked in order. 

“Can I go in?” Haechan asked gently. Johnny looked up to see the Omega standing at the smaller doorway to Taeyong’s bedroom, the arched entrance sealed by the closed door. 

Johnny nodded as he closed the curtains on the second window, his disposition business-like. “Yeah. I think he’d like to see you.” 

Haechan reached out and pushed the door back as far as it would go, clearly wanting to get some of the heat from the first room to move through into the enclosed space. 

Taeyong shifted on the bed, immediately aware of the company. 

“Johnny?” He murmured as he rolled over. 

Johnny, still by the windows in the reception chamber, pretended he didn’t hear this. 

“Nope, much better than that.” Haechan smiled as he walked closer to the bed. 

“Haechan?” Taeyong grunted lazily; his voice steeped in fatigue. He rolled over and opened his eyes, squinting against the ambient firelight that meandered into the cold, stone bedroom. 

Haechan smiled broadly. “You demanded my presence, Your Liege?” 

Taeyong managed a wry chuckle of unforgiving laughter. “Snarky pup.” 

Haechan snickered and crawled onto the bed. Taeyong sighed in contentment at the company and opened his eyes more fully. 

“I had no idea it was this bad.” Haechan breathed, his voice concerned. “I’m so sorry.” 

Taeyong shook his head slowly. “It’s not bad. It just won’t go away long enough to let me sleep it off.” 

Haechan nodded and fell silent as Johnny appeared at the entrance to the bedroom. 

“How are you feeling?” The Alpha asked with care. 

Haechan watched Johnny look at Taeyong with concern thick in his gaze, and he watched the way Taeyong shrugged with honesty and a lack of pretense that felt familiar and intimate. Haechan's status as an Omega meant he was sometimes privy to moments the others in their small group were not. He had never really understood the implications of these quiet intimacies, but intuitively he recognised they were something to keep private. 

“I feel the same.” Taeyong looked suddenly to Haechan and smirked. “Better now that my underling has complied with my outrageous demands.” 

“Johnny _dragged_ me here.” Haechan said as he took off his sweater. “It was utterly uncouth.” 

Taeyong huffed a note of laughter, but didn’t seem to have the energy for anything further. 

“I’ll close the curtains,” Johnny said as he fixed Haechan with a soft glare, but it was playful. 

Haechan ignored him. He sat cross-legged on the bed and threw his shirt onto the ground before turning his attention to his thick pants. He unbuttoned them with a huff of effort and shimmied them off without leaving the bed, stripping down to his boxers. 

Johnny flinched at the clear indication that Haechan wasn’t going to wait for him to leave. He pulled the curtains shut over the large windows and tried not to look as Haechan helped Taeyong pull his own sweater over his head. Taeyong’s bare chest was luminous in the firelight. 

“You’re impatient today,” Taeyong grunted as Haechan forced the other Omega to roll over under the covers. 

“I’m _cold_.” Haechan sighed impatiently as he stripped off his shirt and dropped it onto the floor beside the bed. 

Johnny felt himself flush and sharply turned back to the window. He pulled the last curtain shut with a bold gesture of presence. “Gods, Haechan. I’m about to leave.” 

“Nothing you haven’t seen before, I’m sure Johnny.” Haechan returned, snarky. But there was no bite in his voice. 

Both the Omegas were shirtless now, their chests sculptural and beautiful in the dim firelight. Already Johnny could feel the bed chamber beginning to heat with the warmth of the fire in the adjoining space, but he also knew Omega’s tended to run cold. Haechan was usually one to feel the cool when they were traveling, even more than Taeyong. 

He turned his attention to the last window, exceedingly conscious of Haechan settling under the heavy covers with Taeyong. They jostled for a moment until Haechan had nestled himself behind the elder Omega. They were so close together that they shared the same plush pillow. Haechan had encased the elder wolf from behind, surrounding him slim body as much as he could with his own warmth. 

Johnny shut the curtain and walked back to the doorway. As he looked over his shoulder inside the bedchamber, he saw Taeyong’s serene expression soften into a deep state of relaxation. At this point in a cycle, just physical contact of any kind was all enough for the pain to calm and for sleep to override everything else. It’s what had made him so... _touchy_ in their exchange earlier, Johnny was certain. 

But not just anyone could touch Taeyong like this. Haechan, a loyal Omega from a reputable House, was one of the few candidates who could be allowed at all close. Add to that more than a year of service and friendship... and Haechan was practically the only wolf Taeyong would let into such a private space. Perhaps one of two. 

Haechan exhaled languidly into Taeyong’s hair and seemed to tighten himself around the older Omega even further. “Ungh,” he sighed with closed eyes as he nested himself as close as he could. “You’re so cuddly,” he cooed with genuine pleasure. 

Taeyong too seemed to melt under the contact. “Hmm,” he breathed, sounding almost unconscious already. “Shut up, Haechan," he said, but it was barely more than a gentle whisper. The words could have been the sweetest thing ever spoken, his tone impressed all the meaning. He nestled further into the plush bedding, looking utterly soothed by the other Omega’s presence around him. His cheeks flushed with warmth after so long feeling so cold. 

Johnny’s gaze lingered on Taeyong’s beautiful face – soft and delicate in the firelight, and startled softly as the Omega’s eyes opened. Johnny licked his lips, entranced by the deep, dark comfort Taeyong was exuding. 

“Night Johnny," he breathed. 

Johnny blinked slowly. “Night.” He mouthed the word without speaking. 

Taeyong’s eyes fluttered shut as he gave over to the heat of the Omega pressed against him. 

Haechan murmured something, already succumbing to sleep, and pressed against Taeyong tightly. 

Johnny walked back into the reception chamber silently. He heaved a few hardwood logs onto the raging fire, stoking it to ensure it would last the night, and then quietly exited the private apartments, leaving Haechan and Taeyong nested together in warmth and comfort – a bubble of serenity separate from the frustrations of the world around them. 

* * *

Haechan awoke with heat and comfort laced into his bones. He was surrounded by plush contentment. Large, billowing pillows supported his head and shoulders. Heavy, scented blankets enveloped him from above. And then, curled into his side with his head resting against the edge of his chest, Taeyong’s lithe, smooth body was pressed against his own. 

Haechan hummed and nestled closer to the other Omega. He felt cuddly and craving of skinship as he sank into the same circle of warmth. He could feel Taeyong’s chest slowly inflating against him from where they were pressed together. It was intimate and soothing, but not sexual. While two Omegas often initiated such relationships around heats, Haechan believed he would never see Taeyong that way. He respected Taeyong like a leader and an older sibling. He felt indebted to him and Johnny for the life they had allowed him to continue after he’d Presented. He firmly believed that he owed them both a deep debt. 

Taeyong, not yet awake, mumbled in sleep as Haechan moved beneath him. He inhaled against Haechan’s chest, settling back against the smooth rise of his slim pectoral as he curled against the young wolf’s side again. 

“Hmm,” Haechan hummed with a smile as he put his arms around Taeyong’s back and squeezed him tightly. “You’re so huggable.” 

Taeyong grunted in semi-conscious retort, but he didn’t move. “Shut up,” he slurred with as little movement as he could manage. “I’m sleeping.” 

“Sorry, I wouldn’t have known.” 

There was silence for a moment. Two moments. Three. And then Taeyong grunted loudly in defeat, his whole body shifting with the coarse exhalation of inexorable waking. “Fine! I’m getting up.” 

Haechan snickered as Taeyong rolled away from him with a loud sigh. 

The Prince groaned and rubbed his eyes roughly as he blinked awake. “What time do you think it is?” 

Haechan looked apathetically over his shoulder at the window. Bright light outlined the edge of the heavy curtain. “Daytime.” 

Taeyong grumbled. “Thanks.” He sighed as he sat up sharply. The blankets settled around his hips. His pale collarbones looked smooth in the dim light of the room. Taeyong’s face looked flushed, one of his cheeks was red where it had been pressed against Haechan’s chest. 

“How do you feel now?” Haechan asked, his young voice sounded gentle and concerned. 

Taeyong took a moment to take stock internally. He shut his eyes and swallowed. “Better,” he answered. “I’m hungry, which must be a good sign.” He scratched at his head for a moment and stretched his shoulders back. “Thanks for the company,” he looked at Haechan with sincerity in his gaze. “It really helped me sleep.” 

Haechan shrugged and pulled the blanket up to his chin to conserve his warmth. “It’s no problem.” he licked his lips, suddenly shy. “I don’t know... one day I might need help from you too...” 

Taeyong looked at him like he would look at a younger brother. “Are you blushing?” 

Haechan buried his face in the blanket. It smelt overwhelmingly like both of them. “No.” 

Taeyong smiled. He ruffled Haechan’s hair for a moment and smiled as the younger wolf looked back up at him. A slight note of melancholy had entered his expression. He took back his hand. “You’re a good kid, Haechan,” he said as he rolled his shoulders back. 

Haechan flinched as Taeyong decisively got out of the bed. The older Omega was graceful and beautiful, and not for the first time Haechan found himself indulging in the slight disbelief that he had been so deeply trusted by the famous wolf to share a bed with him. 

Haechan found a crystalline sense of pride in the fact that _he_ was the one Taeyong called upon when he was bowing to the pressure. 

Well... not that he really, had any other choice. 

Haechan stayed under the blankets as the elder wolf gathered his clothing from the floor and dressed with a grunt of effort. “Time to get up now,” he said, directive, as he walked into the reception room and threw open a curtain. Sunlight blasted the intimate space with blinding energy. “You’re going to be late.” 

Haechan sunk further into the blankets for a moment, but he wasn’t going to push it. He respected Taeyong, revered him. Despite his lethargy, he would do what Taeyong said. He braced himself against the cold before pushing back the covers with a groan and sitting up. “Can you go out today?” He asked as he climbed out of the bed. 

Taeyong turned his attention to opening the large curtains in the reception room. Absently he picked up some fruit and nibbled on it as he leaned against the wall to peer out at the daylight beyond. “I don’t know…” he hummed, his dark eyes watching the garden below. “Can you smell any heat still?” 

Haechan shrugged as he buttoned his pants and pulled on his boots. “I can’t smell anything at the moment.” He chuckled. 

Taeyong smiled. “Neither.” 

“What punishment will they give you?” 

Taeyong raised his brows and turned away from the window, shrugging lightly. Haechan was standing before the last coals of the fire now, fidgeting in the cool as he slipped his light-coloured jumper over his head. The teen’s face was flushed and handsome. 

Taeyong wondered for a moment if he would have picked Haechan as an Omega from a distance, if he didn’t know him so well or had seen him grow. The teenager seemed to have an air of presence about him that didn’t fit the defined roles of their Presentation. He was boisterous and not small for his age. He carried himself with confidence, and was always outspoken and sometimes brash to a fault. 

But Taeyong knew Heachan well enough to see the cracks in his bravado. Behind his cunning eyes was a dark self-consciousness and youth that Taeyong wanted to protect. 

“These are all questions I would also like to know the answers to,” he sighed as he put another grape in his mouth and looked out the window again. 

Haechan walked closer and rested his head gently against the Omega’s shoulder. Taeyong didn’t respond to the display of skinship. His unusual silence was more than enough consent to the continued proximity. 

“I can come back... if you need.” Haechan said softly. “I um… it’s just the worst to be… to be alone.” 

Taeyong bit down on another grape and hummed in agreement. This comment reignited the concern he’d felt flare earlier. He looked upon Haechan like a brother, but also as a friend. “I hope you’re treated alright with your family for your heats Haechan,” he said gently. The younger Omega shifted against him. 

Haechan was young and a noble in his own right, from an small family who held some wealth in the Eastern coastal region. In order for him to stay in Taeyong's service, as part of a Guard with Alphas around him and little supervision, it had been arranged that he return to his family for his heats. For the sake of his Honour as well as theirs. And so, Haechan had never spent a heat with the wolves in Elden City that he chose to call family. 

Taeyong's concern morphed to scheming. He smirked and felt an unusual levity arrest him. “You could always lie to them, you know. You could stay here for your next heat and tell them it came on early, before you could travel.” 

“A heat _here_? With Lucas making fun of me?” Haechan rolled his eyes and stepped back from the elder’s lithe frame. “I don’t know how you do it, to be honest.” 

Taeyong appraised this thoughtfully for a moment. “With a lot of pain, I suppose.” He looked out the window again. “I’m glad you’re here, Haechannie.” He picked up another piece of fruit and gestured vaguely in front of him. “I mean, you’re a good soldier, but it’s also nice to have you around too, just because it’s you.” 

Haechan smiled and felt his cheeks flush. “Thanks.” Haechan was so enjoying the comments that he almost yelped when a sharp knock sounded at the door. Taeyong, in contrast, didn’t even seem surprised. 

“Yes?” He called without looking away from the window. 

The door swung open and Johnny stepped forward, the tall Alpha looked commanding and imposing in the intimate, warm space. He shut the door behind him and then, as if belatedly being hit with the pheromones clouding the room, he sniffed and took an involuntary step back. 

“Careful.” Taeyong smiled as he put another grape in his mouth and bit down. “You’re looking an awful lot like that pup, Mark, when Haechan gets too close to him.” 

Haechan flushed as Johnny looked at him. Taeyong, without knowing, had hit far too close to home. 

Johnny’s cheeks were lightly rosy with the warmth of the room, but his dark eyes were serious. “You’re running late, Haechan.” 

Haechan smiled sweetly, but fear glistened in his handsome, youthful face. “I was distracted.” 

Johnny ignored him. “Jaehyun is being tested this morning.” The Alpha spoke now to Taeyong. 

The Omega straightened and turned sharply towards his Guard. “That was fast.” 

“I claimed the two of them for your Guard,” Johnny explained. His dark eyes glanced elsewhere. “I took a punt that would be what you wanted.” 

Haechan’s eyes widened. “So, they'll serve the time with us?” He smiled. "We get to keep them?" 

Johnny’s gaze was harsh as it settled on the young Omega. “We have to test them first, Haechan.” Johnny said deeply. “There’s no certainties until that’s happened.” 

“Can I leave this room yet?” Taeyong asked sharply, he was biting the skin around his index finger. 

Johnny frowned. “I don’t know. What did the elder say last night?” 

“Can’t you just tell me if you can still smell it?” 

Johnny shook his head, almost laughing. “Taeyong-” 

Taeyong rolled his eyes and put down the fruit he was holding. 

Haechan watched, muted and blushing, as Taeyong grabbed Johnny’s coat and used it to yanked the large Alpha towards him. He bent his head to the side as he brought them closer, letting Johnny face settle against the smooth skin of his neck. 

Haechan couldn’t look away. He watched the way Johnny’s large hands reflexively reached out to grasp softly at Taeyong’s hips. The Alpha’s entire body seemed to tense as he involuntarily inhaled the Omega’s scent. Haechan could see that behind his fringe of dark hair, the Guard’s eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in a cacophony of emotion and sensation. His body acted on its own and took a deep, pleasured breath. 

“I wish you wouldn’t do that to me.” Johnny growled against the Omega’s skin. But it wasn’t aggressive. It was like a purr. Low and tactile in the air. He didn’t move. 

“Haechan, is the door shut?” Taeyong asked from over the Alpha’s shoulder. 

Haechan cleared his throat and looked over at the closed door before nodding uneasily. “Y-Yes.” 

Johnny growled – actually growled this time – and slowly pried himself away from Taeyong’s body. 

Haechan felt himself shrink, but Taeyong didn’t look at all surprised by the reaction. The Omega stayed still as a statue as Johnny slowly released his hold on his hips and stepped back, each millimetre of distance an aching bond that had to be ripped away. His expression was dark but his face was flushed. 

“You can’t leave yet.” Johnny’s voice was husky and impatient. “It’s definitely still there.” 

Taeyong sighed, exasperated. “It’s been _days_.” 

“I will not pretend to understand your cycles, Tae.” The pet name slipped from Johnny’s lips despite the company. Haechan swallowed dryly at the sound of it. Johnny had been really taken over. 

“Haechan, please watch that Johnny doesn’t push it too hard testing Jaehyun,” Taeyong said as he walked closer to the other Omega. 

Haechan huffed a note of hollow laughter, suddenly self-conscious in the intimate setting. “To be fair, I don’t think I’d be able to do anything about it.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Johnny negated deeply as he turned towards the exit of the chamber. 

Taeyong followed the wolves to the main doorway, his thin arms crossed over his chest. 

“Good luck with your aunt today,” Johnny said as Haechan knelt down to tie up his boots, the teenager’s actions rushed and self-conscious. 

Taeyong shrugged without uncrossing his arms. “Thanks.” 

“It won’t be long; the heat is almost gone," Johnny spoke gently. He reached up casually to brush a piece of hair behind the Omega’s ear. “Send for me if you need.” 

Taeyong smirked. “You say that like you can stop whatever is coming.” He edged his forehead against Johnny’s hand for a moment before the Alpha withdrew it slowly. 

Haechan rose just in time to catch the movement. He blushed and looked away. 

“See you later, Haechan,” Taeyong said as he turned away to walk lazily back to his bedroom. “Thanks again.” 

* * *

“Hey,” Johnny said as they left Taeyong’s rooms. The Guard stationed at the front straightened to attention, but Johnny waved her down, motioning lazily that he was after the Omega who had already passed her. 

Haechan, already a few paces away, turned in surprise. “Yeah?” 

“You have to change before we go.” 

“What?” Haechan frowned as he looked down at his clothes. 

“You stink of Taeyong.” 

The soldier looked sharply away, blushing at the conversation around her. 

Haechan pouted softly and pulled the chest of his jumper up to his face to sniff the material. “I really can’t tell.” 

“That’s why _I’m_ telling you.” Johnny rolled his eyes. “Have a wash and put on something that’s clean. Be quick. I’ll see you at the main sparring ground.” 

Haechan hesitated, but nodded anyway. He turned to go down the other end of the corridor to the room he inhabited on the lower floor. 

“Hey,” Johnny said quietly as the teen started moving away, "don't think I've forgotten about your coat. Right after we’re done with Jaehyun, I’m testing _you_.” 

Haechan didn’t speak again. He bit his lip for a moment and continued on his way. He felt oddly like he’d been scolded by a parent. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it to Chapter 10! YAY! This feels like such a milestone, but we're not even a quarter of the way! I hope you are enjoying it so far - there's a lot to come :)
> 
> Thanks so much for the kudos and the comments - it really means the world to hear what you think. I'm so psyched I get to share this fic with you!
> 
> I know this chapter is a little shorter than usual, so I'll try and have the next instalment up tomorrow. 
> 
> Catch you again soon,  
> ~ahnohn

# Chapter Ten

Lucas was waiting for Johnny at the sparring ground. The masculine Alpha was dressed in all black, and looked striking against the aged stone of the building. He had his sheathed broadsword resting with its tip against the ground by his feet, his palms pressed on the top end of the hilt as he rocked his weight back and forward patiently. 

“You look like you’re in a rush,” he commented as Johnny stepped up to him. 

“I had to corral the Omegas,” Johnny murmured darkly as he stretched his neck. 

Lucas smirked. 

Johnny looked out at the open training ground, squinting against the sunlight, and frowned as he took note of the number of other soldiers milling around the edges of the open space – clearly waiting to catch a glimpse of something exciting. “No classes on today?” he asked quietly, dimly aware that more than a few of the younger Guard recruits had noticed his presence and seemed to be looking expectantly in his direction. 

Lucas licked his lips and gazed at the congregation of onlookers with apathy. “Word got out,” he murmured. “New Alphas being tested always gets attention.” He chuckled wryly. “ _Particularly_ when they’re tested by _you_.” 

“Hm,” Johnny hummed, unconvinced. 

“You look worried,” Lucas observed dryly. 

“I don’t like an audience when I’m trying to work.” 

Lucas nodded, though he didn’t quite believe this, and shifted his weight from his sword. He straightened his back for a moment, bringing him so incredibly close to Johnny’s height it almost didn’t feel like there was a difference between them. 

Lucas had always felt powerful when he stood next to the elder Alpha. Johnny had a presence of regal leadership about him that was impossible to ignore. When he was in a room, people tended to hover around him, watch him, listen to him. He was revered in the Guard community there, and when Lucas stood beside him, trusted to be within his circle and to speak with him like friends... Lucas felt almost regal too. 

“He’s really good, Johnny. I promise. He might be out of practice now, but he’s good...” 

Johnny frowned. He stared out at the sunshine that fell on the centre of the sparring ground. “He had better be good,” he said quietly. He was still staring at the open square before them. “I’ve already claimed him for Taeyong’s Guard.” 

Lucas smiled in disbelief. “Oh?” He hadn’t expected that. 

“Taeyong knows exactly how to get me to do what he wants.” 

Lucas chuckled; glad they were out of earshot of the other onlookers so that Johnny could speak so candidly. 

“Why does he want that?” 

Johnny shrugged, not seeming to mind that the question wasn’t relevant for Lucas’s role. Their group operated less formally than the House squadrons… it always had. 

“I think he feels indebted to them about all this,” Johnny said impatiently. “Personally, I think _they_ should feel that way.” 

Lucas didn’t say anything. 

Johnny scowled as he watched the audience grow and fill out the edges of the grounds. 

“I asked for this to be closed. I wanted to talk to Jaehyun about it first, but there you have it.” Johnny’s voice ached with frustration that had brewed over days as the uncle stepped through the main entrance of the grounds. Slowly the students and soldiers quietened and collectively bowed in his direction. “I went to Taeyong’s uncle and requested to test Jaehyun last night,” Johnny said quietly as the uncle sat on a large seat that was raised slightly for a better view of the sparring ground. “I think we know who spread the word about this.” 

“Why would he?” 

“Because he wants to make my life difficult?” Johnny asked sharply, though it wasn’t really a question. He stepped away from Lucas with frustration deep in his bones. But as always, Johnny kept his emotional response tightly controlled. 

He walked out into the sunlit plaza until he was standing in the middle of the large space. It was a vast square left open to the elements. Around its four sides were sweeping, enclosed areas shaded from rain and sun, from within which other soldiers could move about or watch on. Usually classes were held here – sparring sessions or lessons on combat or hunting form. But today, what few soldiers were still around for the onset of winter gathered to watch on in earnest as one of the most respected Alphas in the ruling House’s service put another wolf to the test. 

And Johnny wasn’t just any respected Alpha... he was _Taeyong’s_ Alpha. And Taeyong was a big deal. 

The fact that Taeyong was absent was notable too. It didn’t take an elder to theorise why the Omega may have been sequestered to his rooms, why he had been late returning from the journey, and why his Guard had brought two unaffiliated Alphas back with them from the trip. 

It was all adding to the hype. And it all made Johnny terse with impatience and tension. 

Johnny cleared his throat and bowed deeply to the uncle, feeling on edge with so many sets of eyes upon him. “Good morning, sir,” he greeted calmly. “I didn’t realise this trial was to be public.” 

“Why not, my boy?” the uncle responded with affable patronisation. “It has been a gloomy week. We should share in the spoils of your journey.” 

Johnny hung his head in acquiescence and turned back to Lucas, the tall Alpha still tucked alone in the shadows of the back wall of the barracks. “Lucas,” he called loudly. “Please get Jaehyun from the cells. Make sure he’s fed if he needs.” 

Lucas nodded and rocked himself forwards without a word. 

As he walked toward the small exit, Johnny noticed Haechan appear in silhouette in the archway. “Haechan,” he called from his spot still standing in the middle of the open exhibition space, the eyes of the Guard upon him. 

The Omega straightened to attention, surprised to see Johnny already on display in the middle of the sparring ground. 

“Go with Lucas and get Mark too please.” 

Haechan nodded and left, tailing Lucas without hesitation. 

* * *

Haechan watched with pursed lips as Jaehyun followed Lucas out of the cell. The Alpha looked sleepy but rested, his handsome face pale in the morning light. 

“Do you need anything?” Lucas asked as Jaehyun rolled his shoulders back. 

“A shower?” He said dryly. His face was dusty and his clothes were musty from days of travel. 

“I’m serious Jaehyun,” Haechan watched as Lucas grabbed the Alpha by the bicep and pulled him back under the awning of the small cell. “This isn’t a game.” 

“I’m not playing a game,” Jaehyun said. He stared into Lucas’s eyes until the younger wolf released his grip on his arm. 

“You have to show that you’re worth it.” Lucas kept speaking as Jaehyun rolled up the sleeves on his jumper. “The uncle’s here and he likes a show. And the aunt isn’t happy with Taeyong right now.” 

“And they take that out on you guys?” 

“On Johnny,” Haechan interrupted. 

Jaehyun looked at the Omega. The teen seemed different today. He was dressed in lighter colours. His hair was washed and he smelt like soap and flowers. “That’s unfortunate.” 

“I told him you were good with a sword. You have to prove it.” Lucas spoke again. 

“I thought Taeyong _wanted_ to have me in his Guard.” Jaehyun’s voice was impatient as he finished rolling his sleeves. 

“That’s why right now it’s not going to be an easy thing to accomplish.” 

Jaehyun licked his lips and looked at Lucas’s hand, which was gripping his sheathed broadsword tightly. 

“Can I borrow that?” 

Lucas’s expression faltered into a semblance of shocked amusement. “You’ll use training weapons, you monster.” 

“Oh,” Jaehyun said softly as Haechan snickered. “Sorry.” He jumped on the spot a few times to try and warm up. “It’s going to be fine.” He licked his lips and swung his arms around to get his blood rushing. His gaze fixed on Haechan. “Is Johnny good?” 

The Omega pursed his lips again. “Yeah. He’s really good.” He glanced to Lucas and back to Jaehyun. “And Taeyong totally scent-baited him this morning, so he’s in a foul mood too.” 

Lucas looked utterly shocked, but he also seemed strangely validated by the information. “I _knew_ something was wrong with him today,” he grunted. “Taeyong is no use to anyone when he’s bored.” 

“Hey,” Jaehyun said suddenly, clearly he wasn’t engaging in the comedic interlude, “I know that I’m the one that Soothed Taeyong, so it might be harsh for me today. But if anything happens to me, please let Mark stay with you. He had nothing to do with this.” 

Lucas frowned and shook his head. “We can’t make that decision. You know we can’t.” 

“Please,” Jaehyun said again. He gripped Lucas’s forearm tightly. “He has to stay with people I can trust.” 

Haechan felt something in him tighten in alarm at the urgency in Jaehyun’s voice. Even more confusing, Lucas seemed to understand it. 

“I can’t promise anything,” Lucas said slowly, but Jaehyun already looked relieved at his words. 

“Thank you, Lucas,” Jaehyun said as he nodded. When he looked back up, he seemed to have settled back in on himself. He jumped a few more times on the spot to loosen his tight muscles from sleep. 

“I’ll go and get Mark.” Haechan said suddenly, cutting through the talk of the Alphas. 

“Thanks for looking out for him, Haechan.” Jaehyun said as the Omega stepped away. 

Haechan hesitated, unsure why he was the one being targeted with this comment. 

“Can you please stop him if he tries to do anything stupid today?” Jaehyun continued. "For too long I’ve been all he’s known.” 

Haechan nodded. Again, as when Taeyong had asked him to mind Johnny that morning, Haechan felt there was very little he would have actually been able to do if anything happened, but he appreciated the seriousness of the request. 

“Come on,” Lucas said as Haechan turned away. “We’ve got to get back. You have an audience waiting.” 

* * *

Haechan licked his lips and knocked on the wooden cell door three times. 

He heard something shuffle inside, but then there was nothing but silence. 

“Mark?” He asked quietly. He looked around, his eyes glancing across the deserted building around him for a moment before stepping closer. “Can I come in?” He asked against the aged wood. 

Another shuffle. Haechan flinched with curiosity as he heard what he assumed to be Mark’s hand rest against the wood paneling between them. 

“Haechan?” The Alpha’s voice was shy and muffled. 

“Yeah – it’s me.” 

“Okay, come in.” 

Haechan swallowed. He unlocked the door with a dull click and pushed the entrance open. 

Mark was standing a few paces back now, his strong body tense. He was looking at Haechan’s feet, his dark eyes strikingly handsome. 

“How are you?” Haechan asked as the door swung almost closed behind him. The space was clandestine, lit only by a high window on one wall beside them. It cast Mark in a spotlight. 

Mark knew Haechan had visited the previous night. But that encounter had been a flurry of attentions and distraction, all superseded by Johnny’s intense aura and questioning. 

Now with Haechan alone, Mark had the uninterrupted opportunity to lose himself in the wolf’s presence. He swallowed and glanced up at the Omega gracelessly. “Oh,” he breathed. “You look...” his eyes scoured the Omega from head to toe, taking in his clean clothes of lighter hues. His hair looked fluffy, his hands smooth and his legs long. Without the dark colours of the Guard uniform, he looked a bit younger and a bit less intimidating. “You look different,” Mark breathed unsteadily. 

“We can get you some clean clothes,” Haechan said quietly as he faltered under the Alpha’s devouring gaze. “Later on, I mean.” He smirked as he looked at his own dark coat, still hanging stylishly from the Alpha’s masculine frame. “That coat looks good on you.” 

Mark smiled despite himself – the expression looking utterly unconscious and out of his control. “I’m sorry about last night," he said quickly, looking away. “I think I made a fool of myself with your... your smell... all around me...” 

Haechan cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his head. “Oh, that’s fine. It was nothing." He licked his lips as he tried to settle the strange tension in his stomach. What was happening to him? “I’m supposed to take you to the training grounds now,” he said restlessly. 

Mark’s eyes went terse with concern. “What’s going on?” 

Haechan tried not to focus on how broad the Alpha’s shoulders looked in his jacket. He was so sure that he didn’t look like that when he wore the garment. But suddenly he was arrested by a desire to put it on, to have Mark’s body heat around him, to have his skin touch the material where Mark’s own skin had been. 

He frowned and tended one of his hands into a fist as he fought against this persuasive impulse. Whatwas going on? 

“Jaehyun’s being tested by Johnny this morning,” he explained as he cleared his throat unsteadily. “We have to go and watch.” 

“Tested?” Mark’s voice was strained. “What does that mean?” 

“It means we’re trying to get you guys to stay with us instead of being sent to labor, but Jaehyun has to prove himself first.” 

Mark swallowed and Haechan saw some light leech from his eyes. “Haechan,” the Alpha spoke the name softly – almost pleadingly. “I don’t know what any of this means.” His eyes met Haechan’s with sincerity ringing in every moment. “What’s going to happen?” 

Suddenly overcome by a driving desire to help ease the confusion and fear in those deep, handsome eyes – Haechan walked forward and crossed the distance between them. He reached up, meaning to put a reassuring hand casually on Mark’s shoulder, but his open palm landed closer to the Alpha’s neck than Haechan had anticipated, so that instead of offering a friendly slap on the arm, a casual moment of support that would be passing and fleeting, his fingers ended up resting gently against the Alpha’s smooth neck, his thumb sinking like a whisper into the soft dip between his tendons. Haechan stared, entranced, at the way his fingers seemed so tan and warm against Mark’s cool, pale skin. He could see the Alpha’s pulse beating just under the porcelain flesh. He could feel the heat of his own body softly exuding into the space between them. The contact felt like a lightning bolt. Suddenly there was nothing else he could think about but Mark, the feeling of his smooth skin and the watchful attention of his dark eyes. 

“It’ll be alright," Haechan said quietly as he stared at where his fingers were resting against the Alpha’s pulse, “I’ll be with you.” Haechan swallowed and glanced back up at the Alpha’s face. He found Mark already staring back at him.

The Alpha’s cheeks were flushed, his mouth parted softly with calm but constant breaths pulsing between his moist lips. Haechan saw the teenager’s canine teeth edging out from beneath his top lip, and the Omega took a moment to consciously appreciate that he had never seen anything so sexy in his entire life. 

He blinked and wrenched himself back into cognition. The speed at which he had been swept away by the current of Mark's attention was jarring. 

“Sorry,” Haechan breathed uneasily as he sharply took his hand away. Cool air suddenly seemed to surround him. “We have to go.” He rubbed his hands together, ridding himself of the burning sensation Mark’s skin had imparted in him, lest he let it grow. “You need anything before we leave?” 

Haechan’s sudden shift into pragmatism left Mark somewhat disoriented, but he channeled his energy into following instruction. He shook his head in response, but then closed his eyes for a moment, his hands tensing beside him. 

Haechan knew that the teenager was using a few moments of concentration to ensure he was in control of himself. 

“Don’t worry,” Haechan whispered, “you didn’t let anything out.” His expression pulled into a soft smile. “ _That’s_ progress.” 

Mark smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes as he stared, entranced, at Haechan’s handsome face. “Thanks.” 

* * *

Jaehyun had held a sword a few times in the past couple of years. He’d sparred with Mark in the vast forests surrounding their home on Earth – partly to train Mark’s skills, but mostly to maintain his own. He’d had a sword with him when they had fled after the coup began, and he’d had to use it. But the last time he had held a training sword like this one – blunted at the edges, heavy on the wrist – he had been in the South with someone very important to him watching on. 

As Jaehyun stepped out into the cool, grey light of the sparring ground towards Johnny’s imposing figure, he found himself stepping into a memory from two years before. A memory of a time when he had walked into a training match wearing a thick uniform, with a blue sky shining above him and a pair of beautiful, dark eyes watching his movements intently. 

It was a time in which he had been in love and so sure that everything would be fine because if perfection could exist in a single moment, then it had to be able extend to every moment. Despite reality. 

In spite of it. 

For all the barriers in place against them, Jaehyun had never once regretted the trust and devotion he had placed in the depths of those handsome eyes. Even now, years later, with the ache of his own betrayal thick in his blood, Jaehyun was still in love; still bound by emotion, if not by oath, to the wolf he had not seen in years. 

As Jaehyun continued towards Johnny and the focused attention of the onlookers, he slowly closed his eyes to blink. As his eyes shut and his bodyweight shifted from one foot to the other in the falling motion of a pace, there was a single, serene moment of sharp déjà vu, in which Jaehyun could have sworn he felt Doyoung’s eyes on him again. 

For just one instant, the stars seemed to align and it was as if Jaehyun and Doyoung were inhabiting the same space. The world stopped its whirring travel through vacuous skies, inertia took hold of everything in an omnipotent sweep of crystalline meditation. For just one perfect moment, stretching infinitely between the beats of his heart and the distance between his thoughts, Jaehyun returned to the painful ache of love he had known and sacrificed. He could feel Doyoung’s eyes, he could smell him, taste him, he could perceive the Alpha watching. For just one moment, that marble of connection that had once glowed in his chest like sunlight flickered again with life. For just a moment, he wasn’t alone. 

And then it was over. His foot met the ground and the world continued spinning. Birds and wind and chatter, and the sound of the cloth on his back moving with his footsteps: it all returned as the peaceful hum of reality encompassed him once more. But as Jaehyun opened his eyes and looked out at the reality before him - at Johnny and the sparring ground and the test that awaited him - he couldn’t help but wonder if in that moment, Doyoung had also felt him watching. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know I start loads of my chapters this way - but I want to say again, thanks so much for your support, kudos and comments! It means the world to hear from you. I'm so excited to be sharing this story with such a lovely community. 
> 
> As always would love to know what you think :) 
> 
> Stay safe,  
> ~Ahnohn

# Chapter Eleven

“Present your test, Johnny,” the uncle spoke as Jaehyun stopped a few paces behind Johnny in the middle of the sparring ground. 

In the time it had taken for Lucas and Haechan to return with the Alphas, Johnny had warmed up and selected a long training sword to use. He stood before the audience with his blood already rushing, his jacket off and his hand clamped strongly around the hilt of the blunted blade. 

He gave a shallow bow and turned his attention to the onlookers. “This is Jaehyun,” he motioned to the wolf behind him. 

Jaehyun was tense but his face was relaxed. He nodded at the uncle and then cast his gaze over the young group of onlookers without speaking. 

Johnny waited for the slight murmur to die down before continuing. “He is an unaffiliated Alpha who was residing in uncharted territory. He wishes to join the Guard of the House, specifically the personal Guard to Prince Taeyong.” Johnny’s voice was loud and formal. “As Head of Taeyong’s Guard, I honour this request and wish to test him today to identify if he is worthy.” 

The uncle nodded. “Hmm. And where is Taeyong this morning? Should he not be privy to the test of a prospective member of his own Guard?” 

Johnny’s jaw tightened. The uncle knew exactly where Taeyong was. “He is in his rooms sir, unwell.” Johnny was sure this information had the effect the uncle desired. The onlookers spoke amongst themselves like a beehive, theorising and disseminating their assumptions in a monotonous hum, but Johnny ignored it. “I have consulted with him on the matter and he consents to this test being carried out in his absence.” 

The uncle nodded, pleased with himself. “Very well,” he smiled. “Carry on.” 

Johnny turned to look at Jaehyun with pragmatism. “I’m sorry this had to be so public,” he said quietly as he deeply bowed to the Alpha. 

Jaehyun belatedly did the same, following Johnny’s lead to take a few steps back. “How full are we going?” he asked, his voice deep and tense. 

Johnny clenched his jaw as he gripped the sword with both hands and sank into an attacking posture. “Full,” he said seriously. “He won’t let me accept you easily.” 

Jaehyun nodded and sank into his own position of defense. Johnny looked formidable before him – the Alpha’s tall, muscular body was tight with tension. But despite the time since he’d had to use any of it, Jaehyun remembered his training. The sword felt comfortable in his hand, his balance instantly accounting for the added weight in his posture. 

“What about Mark?” Johnny asked as Jaehyun exhaled slowly to center himself. “Will he be alright when we start hitting each other?” 

“Haechan and Lucas can handle him,” Jaehyun said, perhaps optimistically. 

He glanced over at the shaded seating by the back of the grounds. Mark was sitting self-consciously on a bench with Haechan beside him. Lucas stood before them both like a sentinel. 

“Begin!” The uncle’s voice rang out suddenly. 

Jaehyun tensed at the unexpected signal. He immediately looked back in front of him, his body taught with apprehension, but Johnny had already moved. One moment they were paces away from each other, and the next Johnny’s training sword was swinging at his head. 

Jaehyun grunted and let his body override his mind with instinct. Sharply and without hesitation, he forced his own blade up to meet Johnny’s strike with forceful intercept. The swords clanged together loudly and a wave of impact moved through Jaehyun’s arms down into his tense legs. He skidded back a few millimetres. It felt like miles. 

For a moment Johnny stared into his eyes, their crossed blades between them, and Jaehyun got the message. He had to act now. Johnny was going _full_. 

Jaehyun tensed every muscle in his core and shoulders and took a driving step forward. He parried Johnny and forced him to take a step back. On the back foot, their blades met again, another step back, again, another step. Both of the Alpha’s were stubborn anchors behind the weapons, but only Jaehyun was gaining ground. 

Johnny grit his teeth and Jaehyun read the intention in his movement. As Johnny began to pull back his sword for a drive, Jaehyun shifted his weight and spun his sword behind him. It was risky, to leave himself so exposed, but he knew what Johnny was going to do. Already committed to his own drive, Johnny could only watch as Jaehyun turned and brought the full force of his body weight through the weapon and down upon him. 

He blocked the hit easily, but that wasn’t the point. The force of Jaehyun’s blade on his own drove him back onto one knee. He grunted with the impact and heard some chatter erupt from the crowd at the showy move. 

Jaehyun didn’t stop. He lunged quickly to Johnny’s side, switching his grip to his Southern style as he went so that the blade ran parallel with his forearm, and swung it around to catch on Johnny’s neck. 

They froze together for a moment, both Alpha’s breathing heavily in the sudden stillness. 

Johnny swallowed, the movement nudging his Adam’s apple against the blunted blade. Jaehyun didn’t move. He wasn’t sure if they would reset, or if the fight would continue. The etiquette was unfamiliar and he didn’t want to cross a boundary he hadn’t seen. 

However, Johnny continued. In a sudden burst of movement, he pivoted himself on his palm and swung his legs clear of Jaehyun’s frame, using his low center of gravity to sweep from the Alpha’s weapon before he could react. 

Free of the younger Alpha, Johnny took a stable breath and stood, the movement fluid and graceful, despite the dirt on the knees of his black trousers. 

Jaehyun licked his lips and steadied himself. He returned the blade to the standard hold and lowered himself into a preparatory stance. 

Johnny nodded tersely. 

They met again in a flurry of movement. This time Johnny seemed more prepared. He had steeled greater strength behind his blows, which set Jaehyun back in surprise. 

He grit his teeth as he sloppily defended a hit, then another, then another. His reflexes were not sharp enough, not honed enough, not what they had been since getting to Earth. He was out of practice. Jaehyun could see the hits coming, could anticipate Johnny’s choices, but his body lacked the tuning to get there. 

Johnny had been holding back. This time it was Johnny that forced Jaehyun down. 

Jaehyun grunted loudly, his chest grumbled for a moment with a low growl, as he raced his body to act upon the opportunity he saw. But he was too late. By the time he had begun to raise his sword in parry, Johnny had already pressed the tip of his blade to the intercostal dip in his ribs. The angle meant that, if Johnny had seen the movement through with a sharp blade and his considerable strength behind it, it would have struck straight through his heart. 

Again they stopped, both panting now, and watched each other. Johnny’s face was flushed with activity, but his eyes were serious and observant. 

“Again!” The uncle’s voice boomed behind them. 

Johnny straightened and moved back to reset. 

Jaehyun swallowed and did the same. 

He threw more of himself into the challenge this time. Jaehyun met the Alpha’s blows quickly and forced his body to catch up with his mind. As they continued edging each other back and forward, Jaehyun began to think less and less about his own future and more about Mark’s. Their movements got harder, tighter, nastier. Johnny lunged at him like he had something to prove, and Jaehyun responded with the desperation of someone with everything to lose. After a few more resets, the grace and finesse of a typical show fight were gone. They were torn down to strength and reflex and little more. 

Again, as Jaehyun pressed the edge of the dulled blade against Johnny’s neck in the most secure style of his Southern training, winning another pass, their momentary reprieve of stillness was cut short by the uncle. 

“Johnny,” he called seriously as the Alphas stepped apart. “This is not sufficient.” 

Jaehyun’s jaw clenched. Clearly Haechan hadn’t been lying. Jaehyun let his gaze stray from Johnny to the uncle, tense seriousness and judgment clear in his dark irises. 

This was ridiculous and uncalled for. The uncle wanted to humiliate Johnny – make him work harder than the situation demanded. He wanted to make Jaehyun beat him so convincingly it made his skill look lacking. 

Jaehyun wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and caught Johnny’s gaze. They were both sweating now, despite the chill in the pre-winter air. Both of them were panting with exertion. 

Johnny nodded tersely and sunk again into an attack position. 

“How long will this go on, Johnny?” Jaehyun asked, his deep voice quiet, as he sank adjusted his tired grip on the heavy sword. His heart beat was thrumming in his ears. His breath was labored and husky. 

“Give more, Jaehyun. I can tell you can beat me here. And you have to.” Johny’s voice was framed around breathy pants. “You won’t be allowed to stay without proving you’re worth more than we already have. He wants to humiliate me today.” 

Jaehyun glanced to Mark again. The teenager was tense – the pressure in his gaze evident even at this distance. Haechan had a hand on his shoulder, and Jaehyun was willing to bet that the Omega was releasing just the slightest soothing pheromones to keep him relaxed. If that failed, at least Lucas was there too. A growl from that guy would shut Mark up if it came to it... 

...Hopefully... 

Jaehyun nodded as he looked back at Johnny. “All in?” 

“All in.” Johnny licked his lips and his eyes got darker. 

“Why are you doing this for us?” Jaehyun asked so quietly he wasn’t sure Johnny would have heard it. 

“Taeyong wants this.” Johnny said, moving the blunted blade just slightly in his hands. “I just do what Taeyong wants.” 

Jaehyun swallowed. Silence descended and he knew Johnny was waiting for him to move. 

He blinked slowly, pulling his power up, and then lunged forward, striking Johnny’s sword with his own. He grunted as he finally felt their strength match. Johnny’s jaw clenched and he _growled._

That was it, the bets were off. 

They pulled back and met again with a sharp clang of impact, but now Jaehyun wasn’t holding back at all either. He kept all his strength in his body, letting brute force make up for his current lack of technique and skill. On and on, again and again, Johnny blocked and parried and dodged, until suddenly he didn’t. 

Jaehyun’s sword slipped through the opening, Johnny’s arm was already mid-motion with his sword on another trajectory. He couldn’t right himself in time. Jaehyun snarled, his lip pulling back over his teeth, as he saw the hit within his grasp. 

But then Johnny chose to abandon the sword. Instead of seeing through his arc of movement behind the blade, he let his motion swing him off balance to bring his other arm into the fray. As Jaehyun slipped into Johnny’s sphere of reach, he was entirely unprepared for the strong fist that connected heavily with his jaw. 

He grunted and faltered to the ground, landing heavily on his knees and the open palm of his free hand. Swiftly, Johnny corrected his balance and stumbled back a step. 

Jaehyun breathed and blinked slowly. He spat and dark blood splattered onto the ground by his knee. 

He glanced behind him and noticed that Mark was now standing, his watchful eyes panicked and his face flushed with reflexive aggression for a member of his pack. Haechan held onto one of his arms and Lucas stood aggressively in front of him. They’d pulled him back into the shadows of the enclave so as to minimize the visibility of the juvenile reaction, but Jaehyun could easily perceive what was happening even with the distance. 

He swallowed and looked back at Johnny. One problem at a time. He had to trust that Lucas and Haechan could handle Mark. 

“Hardly sportsmanlike, Johnny,” the uncle remarked, amused, from the captivated spectators. 

Johnny didn’t respond. He shifted his grip on the training sword and nodded at Jaehyun, seeking understanding as much as he was pushing for Jaehyun to realise this had to get ugly before it could resolve. 

Jaehyun nodded back. 

Again, they met in a flurry of movement. But Jaehyun wasn’t going to let the same thing happen twice. Something in him had clicked. His mind and his body had finally found some common ground – echoes of his years of training returned to his nerves and laced his body with speed and fortitude. He trusted himself. 

He met Johnny’s sword with a heavy clang, but didn’t waste any time. Grunting, he swung himself around before Johnny could react, heaving his body weight against the Alpha with a forceful strike at his head. Johnny blocked the blow easily, but the movement served its purpose. As Johnny raised his arm to defend, Jaehyun continued turning until his back was to Johnny’s chest. He could feel Johnny preparing to grab him, just as he’d anticipated, and forced his elbow back into Johnny’s abdomen. 

Off balance and in pain, Johnny couldn’t effectively counter the next series of blows from Jaehyun’s sword. He was pushed back a few paces as he blocked hit after hit with less and less strength and accuracy. Jaehyun growled now, the sound powerful and deep, as their swords met again, animalistic in his adrenaline. 

Jaehyun had given into instinct, and Johnny could no longer keep up. One more hit, two, and then Jaehyun spun again. He angled the sword against Johnny’s own and, as soon as the blades had met, he rushed forward, changing his grip again so that the blade could slide through and catch Johnny’s hand. His body was screaming with fatigue, but his mind was focused. He had to win. 

Despite the blunted edge, Johnny couldn’t restrain the reflexive release of his hold on the hilt of the weapon as the metal reached his fingers with painful impact. Jaehyun didn’t wait. As the weapon fell, he grabbed Johnny by the front of his shirt and threw them both onto the ground. Johnny landed heavily on his back, the air pushed from his chest with a thud of impact, and Jaehyun followed him down without hesitation. The younger Alpha landed straddled against Johnny’s body, his knees tight against Johnny’s hips. Both his hands were raised and gripped tightly on the hilt of the training sword, the point of which was pressing down against the sensitive dip of Johnny’s throat. 

Both Johnny and Jaehyun froze, adrenaline and power and movement distilling instantly to icy inertia and numbing alarm. 

Despite the blunted edge, if Jaehyun had pushed down then, had utilised the strength and power he had coursing through his body, he could have killed Johnny right there. 

Jaehyun was panting, and so was Johnny. The elder Alpha’s torso inflated against Jaehyun’s legs with deep, bellowing breaths. 

Jaehyun waited, poised in his position of attack, until he realised Johnny wasn’t moving. They stared at each other; both their faces flecked with dirt and sweat and blood. Johnny put a hand on Jaehyun’s knee and tapped him once, as if to impart some meaning of yield or congratulations. 

Jaehyun looked sharply at the elder’s hand and back at his face. Despite the dirt on Johnny’s features, the panting breaths that racked them both, the pain of impact and bruising that was yet to flourish properly on both of their bodies, Johnny was almost smiling. 

Jaehyun licked his lips and felt something akin to laughter bubble inside him. His fingers loosened against the hilt of the sword, still poised above Johnny’s delicate windpipe. 

“Well then!” the uncle’s voice sounded obnoxiously from the boundary of the grounds. “Enough now, boys!” 

Rather than listening to the uncle, Jaehyun instead looked to Johnny for confirmation that he could now relax.

The deference wasn’t lost on Johnny, or on Haechan – watching from the back end of the sparing grounds, where Mark had calmed somewhat since the turn of power in the match. Haechan could read the political implications of Jaehyun’s perhaps unconscious decision to defer to Johnny rather than the uncle. It was subtle, but definitive. Even now, so soon after his arrival, Jaehyun was showing his loyalty to Johnny over any others. 

Johnny nodded subtly and Jaehyun exhaled. Forcing the adrenaline and canine reflexes out of his system with a moment of concentration, Jaehyun blinked slowly and tossed the sword aside. As it fell to the ground beside them, he felt his core relax. 

He took a moment to breathe, letting his animalistic instinct relish for just a second in the fact that Johnny was defeated beneath him, and then forced himself back in control. He rocked himself up onto his knees and stood. Before he moved away, he offered Johnny a hand and helped the larger Alpha to his feet. 

As they stood together, still puffing – their swords abandoned around them – Johnny put a terse hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder and pulled him forward to stand beside him as they turned to the uncle. 

Jaehyun licked his lips, flinching as he tasted blood, and bowed his head, trying not the let the racking breaths disturb his posture. 

“That was quite a show," the uncle said slowly. “Johnny,” he identified sharply. 

“Yes sir.” 

“As Head of Taeyong’s Guard, I expect more from you than defeat at the hands of an unaffiliated Alpha captured in the Wilds.” 

Jaehyun glanced up at Johnny with some concern, but the elder Alpha didn’t react. His jaw clenched, but he bowed his head without hesitation. “I agree, sir.” 

The immediate subservience seemed to leave the uncle with nowhere to go with his reprimand. He scowled. “What is your recommendation?” 

Johnny nodded and spoke formally, pleased for the progression. “I recommend that Jaehyun serve his penance in the Guard. His skills are clear and there is space for further refinement, which will only improve his worth to your House.” He cleared his throat, still panting. “I also personally request that he be placed in Taeyong’s Guard. If this is found suitable, Lucas and myself will oversee his development and bear responsibility for his conduct. This would extend also to his younger packmate, Mark – as yet untested but, I am informed, also skilled.” 

The uncle stared at Johnny for a moment, as if considering whether to give in to this request. 

“All due respect sir,” Johnny spoke in the uncle’s silence, aware that the tides of decision needed to be pulled in his favour given his current place of reprimand, “Taeyong is garnering more and more attention now. It is improper to have such a small Guard when traveling between cities. As a skilled fighter and unaffiliated Alpha, Jaehyun would be a considerable asset politically.” 

This was a risk. Johnny was stoic in his silence as the uncle considered this. B ut with such an audience, it was impossible for him to deny the legitimacy of this claim. He couldn’t recklessly discount this assertion for the sake of punishment, not in front of the onlookers he had arranged. 

“Approved,” he said without elaboration. 

Johnny nodded, relieved. Jaehyun exhaled deeply. As his eyes met Johnny’s, he finally gave into the urge to smile. 

* * *

Mark was quiet as Jaehyun and Johnny settled on the bench beside each other. There was some space between them, but after sharing in the adrenaline of the fight, they now looked remarkably in-sync; two powerful Alpha’s, both tired and bruised, both slouching with the same proud look in their eyes. 

Mark hadn’t known what to think as they had walked off the sparring ground after the uncle's approval. He was embarrassed at his outburst when Jaehyun had been hit, but Haechan and Lucas had seemed understanding. Jaehyun had walked up to him, put a hand in his hair in wordless greeting, and then followed Johnny deeper into the maze of forest and buildings with a calm that was contagious. 

Johnny had led the group to an enclosed training space in a secluded corner of the complex in an attempt to give them privacy from the many onlookers who remained interested in the growing team. It was a smaller version of the main sparring ground – a small courtyard open to the elements, enclosed by four walls with seating nestled under awnings that provided shade and rain cover. 

Once the two beaten Alphas had settled on a bench and Haechan had secured the large, oak gate shut, the formality seemed to instantly drop. 

Johnny closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the stone wall. Haechan approached the two Alphas slowly. He poked at Jaehyun’s jaw lightly, eliciting a sharp grumble of discomfort from him in response. “We should really be icing this, right?” 

“It’s fine,” Jaehyun said wearily as he pushed Haechan's hand gently away from his face. 

Johnny nodded from beside him. “All we need is rest.” 

“So, it’s all confirmed then?” Lucas asked with a grin as he looked at Johnny – so fatigued and beaten – with a note of amusement. It was oddly satisfying to see the elder Alpha defeated. “Jaehyun and Mark are part of Taeyong’s Guard now?” 

Johnny shrugged gently as he opened his eyes. “You never know what can change, but yeah. I suppose so.” 

Jaehyun exhaled in relief. 

"Where will they stay?” Lucas asked as Johnny’s eyes shut again. 

"We can't keep them in the cells," Haechan added. 

“Not really my problem right now,” Johnny mused as he chuckled darkly. “One of them made it difficult for me to breathe, let alone think.” 

Jaehyun smirked and chuckled, but then winced as his own battered torso ached in response. 

“Where do you guys stay?” Mark asked Lucas quietly. He was leaning against the wall next to where Jaehyun was sitting on the bench. His hands were tucked into the pockets of Haechan’s jacket. 

Haechan, now standing with Lucas in the center of the space, tried not to stare at him. He was still entranced by the sight of the young Alpha in his clothes. If anything, seeing him out of the cell still wearing the garment was even more jarring. 

“Johnny is a noble and Taeyong’s Head Guard,” Lucas answered the question. “They’ve known each other since they were kids, so he stays in the main House close to Taeyong’s rooms.” 

Mark nodded slowly. He looked at Johnny, almost relieved to find the elder Alpha still had his eyes shut, leaning his head against the wall. 

“Haechan, our _darling Omega_ ,” Lucas grinned as he slung an arm across Haechan’s shoulders and pulled his relatively smaller frame against him. Mark swallowed and looked away as Haechan was forced into Lucas’s proximity. Seeing Haechan in the grips of another Alpha was strangely aggravating. “He gets some swanky rooms in Taeyong’s wing when we’re here. He’s also from a noble House, so it makes sense for him to stay there.” 

Mark’s expression pulled into a shadow of surprise with the new information. Haechan was a noble. “Oh, wow,” he breathed. “I didn’t know that.” 

“I’m not important or anything,” Haechan dismissed quietly as he met Mark’s gaze. His voice sounded almost defensive, like he was concerned what Mark was thinking. “I'm from a House out in the country. I’m third born, _Omega_ , there’s not much more I could have lowering my own standing.” 

Lucas didn’t find this conversation interesting, so he didn’t hesitate to speak on. “And _I_ stay out in the barracks. No carpets or fireplaces or anything,” Lucas said as he released Haechan. “And I reckon that’s where you guys will be – with me.” 

“Alright,” Mark said after a pause. While the distance from Haechan didn't sound ideal, anything was better than the small cell he had slept in the previous night. 

“With the three of you, they might actually give you a dedicated cabin so you can be together.” Johnny spoke up after a moment, his voice husky. 

“That would be _sweet_ ,” Lucas exclaimed. “I’ve been on my own out here too long.” 

“They don’t just house you with the rest of the main Guard?” Jaehyun asked as he shifted. He crossed his arms loosely over his chest, but clearly he’d been hit there a few too many times to be able to pull anything tight. 

Lucas shook his head in response. “I guess we're...” he looked to Haechan for a moment as he gathered the right words. “We’re kind of... important.” 

Jaehyun watched Lucas with some skepticism. The younger wolf was sometimes prone to hyperbole. “I mean it,” Lucas defended somewhat self-consciously. “People look at you differently when they know you work for Taeyong.” 

This, Jaehyun found a little easier to believe. 

“And besides, we don’t spend enough time here to really get to know the permanent Guard, so it’s easier not to live with them. We’re always leaving.” 

“Why?” Jaehyun asked. 

Lucas shrugged. “Taeyong doesn’t really like it here, I don’t think.” 

Johnny shifted at this sentence, but didn’t say anything. 

“I mean, fair enough too. But it's also his job, I guess, to go and visit different Houses in Elden. And it means we get to travel too, which is nice. And because we’re part of his team, we don’t have to follow the same... _standards_ as other units.” Lucas hesitated and glanced to Johnny. “Is that fair to say?” 

Johnny hummed and nodded in subtle agreement. “That’s fair,” he spoke gently. “Taeyong gets special consideration for Guard allocation, including an Omega and ‘ _unaffiliated Alphas from the Wilds’_ ,” he quoted the uncle’s words, “because he’s valuable to the House.” 

“Valuable how?” Mark asked in the quiet that followed. 

Johnny hesitated, but Lucas spoke up for him. 

“He’s going to be an important token for political mateship.” 

Mark frowned a little. “Oh.” 

Johnny let this settle before speaking on. “As part of his Guard we’re expected to uphold a different set of standards to other groups.” 

“Like?” Jaehyun asked. He opened his eyes and turned to Johnny. He was interested now. 

“We travel with Taeyong, but we also attend events, and we have to be _presentable_ at all times,” he looked sharply to Lucas and Haechan. “Haechan’s a natural but only when he wants to be. Lucas needs to work on etiquette.” 

Jaehyun nodded, intrigued. 

“I think you’ll be fine,” Johnny said to Jaehyun, “but Mark might need some work before we present ourselves as an updated team at any formal events.” Johnny grunted as he sat up. Mark looked down, blushing. 

“Speaking of training.” Johnny fixed his gaze on Haechan, who faltered slightly into Lucas’s side at the attention. “You owe me some sparring.” 

“I owe you nothing.” 

“Haechan,” Johnny warned as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

Haechan glowered and faced Johnny slowly, his posture straight and broad. “Yes, Johnny.” 

“We agreed you’d run through some drills today.” 

“I’m not sure drilling me is in your interest right now.” Haechan said with a wry smirk as he looked Johnny up and down, his gaze catching on the bruising that had flourished across his throat, and the grazing on his arm. 

“Lucas can run them with you.” 

Lucas smiled as Haechan looked away. “My favourite thing,” the Alpha snickered as he stretched his arms over his head one at a time. 

Haechan rolled his eyes and tried not to glare at Johnny as he obediently stepped into the sparring square with Lucas. It was a relatively small space, but Haechan didn’t mind. He liked the fact that it was secluded. 

“Blades or hands?” Lucas asked Haechan, a glimmer of excitement in his expression. 

Haechan looked at Johnny. “Can I use weapons?” 

Johnny shrugged, impartial. “We’re in a private spot – whatever you like." 

Haechan considered this but decided against it. “Hands... it’s been a while.” 

Lucas smiled and put his sheathed sword carefully on the bench before joining Haechan in the middle of the space. They sank into a fighting position, but were quickly interrupted by Johnny once more. “Haechan,” he said. 

“Yes, Johnny?” Haechan’s voice was bordering on impatient as he looked at the Alpha behind him. 

“Don’t you need your coat?” 

Haechan’s cheeks flushed. Immediately he looked at Mark, who was watching intently from the back wall. Both of them instantly recognised that Johnny was talking about the coat he was wearing. The coat Haechan had given him the previous night. The coat he had been wearing all day – through panic watching the fight, through his restless sleep the night before. 

“Is that necessary?” Haechan asked as he pried his eyes from Mark’s handsome face. “He might be cold.” He said this with a smile, as if he were caring for a child. But underneath his humour was a glimmer of dread that Johnny didn’t leave to be concealed by levity. He held Haechan to account with heavy silence, and blinked slowly in thick waiting. 

Jaehyun, sensing the tension in the exchange, looked to Mark. The teenager was still standing next to him – where he seemed to feel safest. “Go on, Mark,” he prompted, “give Haechan his jacket back.” 

Mark licked his lips and nodded obediently to his elder brother. He stepped away from the wall, feeling all the eyes on him, and softly jostled the thick garment from his shoulders. He shivered as it slipped from his arms. His attachment to it felt far deeper than warmth alone. He wanted to covet it and protect it. 

He swallowed, knowing this impulse with irrational, and carefully held it out to the Omega. His skin bristled with cool where the thick fabric left him. “Here, Haechan.” 

Haechan nodded and took the coat without looking at Mark’s face. His jaw was tight. If he looked at the Alpha, he didn’t know what he might do. “Thanks,” he said tersely. 

Haechan waited until Mark was a few paces away from him, back next to where Jaehyun was seated on the bench, before sliding the coat over his arms and up onto his shoulders. Mark tried not to watch, but he couldn’t help the way his gaze fixated on Haechan’s chest as the jacket – thick with his own warmth and close to a full day and night of his own unbridled smell – slipped over the Omega’s masculine frame. 

Haechan couldn't hide the shiver of satisfaction that arrested him as he was surrounded with the tactile warmth. His face flushed softly as Mark’s scent surrounded him. It was like taking a hit. It was like being put in a sauna of pheromones designed to make him feel peaceful and relaxed – the opposite of what combat training demanded of him. And as Mark wasn’t particularly self-regulatory yet and had gone through a taxing moment of protective stress when Jaehyun had been hit, the effect was far more extreme than Haechan had ever experienced before. 

Haechan cleared his throat, the action sounding much less casual than he’d hoped it to be. 

“Low, Johnny.” Lucas chuckled uneasily as he watched Haechan struggle to steel himself. “This is rough.” His voiced was edged with the slightest hint of panic. He had never seen Haechan like this before – so obviously under the influence of an Alpha’s pheromones. 

“You’ve dealt with worse from us, Haechan,” Johnny said, his eyes also trained on the Omega’s reactions. 

“I’m surrounded by festering, odious Alphas.” Haechan said with bite in his voice. As he looked to Lucas, the elder Alpha recoiled in the deadened seriousness there. “I’m used to it.” 

He wasn’t sure if it was frustration at the situation, or an indication of how much control it was taking to keep himself steady. But either way Lucas appreciated that Haechan wasn’t happy. 

He nodded to Haechan softly and then, with the Omega’s terse affirmation, lunged at the teenager for a few simple drills. 

Haechan executed the movements with rigour, if a little too much tension. Forms that would have usually been graceful and economic from his muscle-memory were now rushed and tense. As he blocked Lucas and pushed back on him, the Omega grunted loudly. 

The brief parry of that form over, they stepped back from each other. Haechan breathed deeply for a moment. His face was now deeply flushed with colour. He brought his hand up to wipe unsteadily at his forehead and swallowed dryly. Each movement of his body beneath the fabric released another plume of Mark’s scent – each shift surrounded him with more of the pleasure that was already arresting his senses. 

He coughed; his breath was thick with the Alpha’s pheromones; he could feel it coating his nose and eyes and the walls of his veins. He cleared his throat, no longer caring to control the way this looked, and steeled himself again. With each breath he took to try and clear his head he only drew in more of the scent. 

“You okay?” Lucas asked. 

Haechan nodded and didn’t speak. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was clenched. 

They met again. Still, Lucas stuck to the forms with very little variation, and still Haechan met his advances with textbook responses. But no movement felt easy. 

As they finished the exchange, Haechan grunted again, as if the last block of Lucas’s fist had cost him exponentially more energy than the first. He could feel Mark watching him. But he refused to look. As they stepped back to reset, Haechan hunched over and leaned against his knees for a moment. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. 

“Gods,” he hissed. 

His deep breath, all hunched over like that, had only brought in more of the scent. It was all around him now. Drowning him. Pulling him under the water of rationality and self-awareness into a state of utter, defenseless relaxation – numbing and soothing and supplicating. It was a scent designed to make Omega’s pliable, obedient, gentle, loyal. Mark, in his youth and inexperience, had let it out into the coat all night. It would have been an instinctive response to Haechan’s own scent that had been there first.

Lucas strode closer to him and put a hand on his back. “Haechan?” 

Haechan scrunched his eyes shut and straightened sharply, recoiling at the contact from someone that wasn’t the Alpha whose scent was surrounding him. “What?” he barked. He took a step back – out of Lucas’s reach – and looked up. 

His face was really flushed now. He was panting; his eyes unfocused. His lips were pulled back just slightly above canine teeth. 

Lucas glanced to Johnny, whose expression was beginning to crack with concern. Beside him, Jaehyun was watching without comment, and beside _him_ , Mark was clearly on the verge of tearing himself apart. The Alpha was shaking. 

“Lucas!” Haechan’s voice was sharp and impatient, ashamed under the concern of all the Alphas around him. “Come on!” 

Lucas turned and, without any contrary direction from Johnny, gently began another drill. 

Haechan met his first hit, blocked, threw his own, and then the Omega could do no more. A standard jab from Lucas’s broad frame – which the Omega would have reflected easily on any other day – knocked the Omega off balance. Haechan hit the ground with an grunt of impact. And he didn’t get up. 

“Ugh,” he groaned, his voice twisting in his obvious fight for control. 

Lucas saw the moment Haechan gave in. He could see the way the Omega’s body went from tense aggression as he fought to maintain his posture and composure, to the way his muscles leeched of their fight and softened into pliable, submissive comfort. Giving into the shame of his reflexes, Haechan groaned in sharp frustration as he curled into a ball on the dusty ground of the small sparring area. 

Mark couldn’t stop himself. He moved through sheer reflex and was beside Haechan in an instant. 

“Haechan,” he breathed. Reflexively he put his hand on the Omega’s shoulder. 

Haechan stiffened at the contact, but as he looked up and saw Mark beside him, he couldn’t help but groan in relief. 

Mark’s eyes were dark and emotional. Not knowing what to say, he let his body guide him. He leant over Haechan slowly, enclosing him in safety. His eyes closed as the Omega’s smell wafted around him. Haechan’s melodic bouquet was only made sweeter by the subtle infusion of his own scent blooming from the jacket. He pressed his forehead gently against Haechan’s own and shivered as their skin touched. Haechan was hot against him. Driven by instinct he didn’t understand, Mark let his own scent envelop them – a haphazard attempt to soothe Haechan’s pain. 

Haechan exhaled as he felt Mark’s skin meet his own and his scent surround them. His tortured breath caught into a captivated groan as warmth and numbing relaxation flooded around him. He opened his eyes. Nothing was in focus; everything was censorious and ethereal and vacuous. Everything but Mark. In contrast with the rest of the world, the young Alpha’s eyes were clear and penetrating. With their foreheads pressed together, their faces were so close that Mark’s eyes were all he could see. Haechan’s breath caught in his throat as he was suddenly overcome with the desire to fall into the wolf’s presence. To kiss him and embrace him and bend to him. He gripped at Marks bicep tightly, his mind screaming at him to act on ancient impulses that the scent was drawing out of him. 

Haechan hated himself. He hated the way he didn’t have the strength to fight this back. He hated the way Mark’s scent made him feel this good. He hated that in that moment there was absolutely nothing he wanted to do other than drown in the young Alpha’s warmth. In that instant he would have done _anything_ to stay there. And he _hated_ himself for it. He _hated_ that his biology was stopping him again. Again and again and again. 

He hated when people judged him on the basis of his Presentation. He _hated_ when he wasn’t trusted to carry his own bow or ride his own horse. But more than anything else, he _hated_ that he had just proven them all right. He had proven that he was nothing but a slave to his own Presentation. That he was nothing but a wolf that craved an Alpha’s scent and knot. 

“Get them apart, Lucas.” Johnny said deeply from the bench. Despite his injuries, he was sitting forward now, concern etched into his brow. 

Lucas knelt beside Haechan quickly. The Omega hissed, angry and possessive of his contact with Mark, but couldn't fight as Lucas grabbed Mark by his collar and yanked him harshly away. 

Mark landed with a grunt against a wall of the small space. His expression was one of deep concern, protectiveness and fear. He growled and bent into a stance of fearful aggression as Lucas approached Haechan. Jaehyun, despite his bruising, quickly got to his feet and stood in front of his little brother imposingly – a barrier for any further impulsive actions. 

Haechan didn’t see it though. As Mark was pulled away from him, he groaned again, doubling over on himself on pain and cold at the separation. 

Lucas sank to his knees before the teenager and gently pried the coat from his hot skin. He tried not to touch the Omega’s skin again, knowing that another Alpha so close with Mark’s scent all over him would do nothing to help. 

He slipped the garment from the Haechan’s arms and threw it aside. 

Free of the oppressive heat and smell, Haechan felt his breathing even slowly. He kept his eyes clenched shut until he could hear his own voice in his head. He grounded himself on the dusty cobblestones beneath him and waited until he could feel the wintry sunshine on his neck before sitting up slowly. 

It probably only took a few seconds, but it felt like hours. 

When Haechan looked up, all his patience was gone. He was livid and empty. His face was still flushed with the effects of Mark’s pheromones, but his mind was his own. 

As he went to stand, Lucas appeared before him, offering to help him get up. 

“Fuck off,” Haechan grunted as he slapped the Alpha’s hand away. He breathed deeply, hauling fresh air into his lungs, and willed himself to steady as his head swam with the sudden ascension. He opened his eyes and looked at Mark, panting against the wall beside him. The Alpha’s flushed face was a picture of guilt and concern. 

“I’m sorry for giving that to you.” Haechan’s voice was formulaic as he referenced the coat that sat crumpled against the wall beside them. “I suppose we’re even now.” He looked to Johnny then, his eyes deadened. 

Johnny licked his lips. Haechan walked purposefully towards the gateway from the sparring area. “Where are you going?” He asked as Haechan moved past him. 

“I’m going to see Taeyong,” Haechan breathed, seething. 

The watching Alphas faulted at the heat in the teenager’s voice. 

In the midst of their mindlessness, Haechan opened the gate. 

“I’ll make sure he gets there okay,” Lucas said to Johnny as he stepped towards the Omega. 

Haechan rounded on him sharply. “Lucas, I swear to the Gods, if you follow me right now, I’ll kill you.” 

Lucas stepped back, fearful of the fire in the Omega’s face. Haechan turned and walked out into the maze of barracks without hesitation. 

Johnny sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Shit,” he looked at Mark, the young Alpha was still stunned into silence, looking as if he had just awoken from a dream. “We really need to teach you some self-control.” 

Jaehyun looked at the teen observantly and didn’t say anything. 

“Haechan should have been able to handle that though.” Johnny spoke, his voice fatigued. “He’s had bad enough from us in the past – I meant that when I said it.” He looked at Mark and smirked with disbelief. “Maybe it _is_ you,” he looked Mark up and down from the edge of his dark boots – quite fashionable on Earth – to the top of his head of dark hair. “What’s so special about a rogue Alpha with no House and no training?” 

Jaehyun knew Lucas was looking at him. As Mark looked down self-consciously, clearly carrying his own guilt in the situation, Jaehyun and Lucas shared a quiet moment of concern. Mark wasn’t just a rogue Alpha with no House and no training. But Johnny didn’t have any sense of the impact of his words. The truth at their core that others were only guessing at. 

“Don’t go near him for a while, Mark.” Jaehyun said seriously. “Not until we’ve trained you up. That was an unacceptable lapse that caused unnecessary pain for Haechan.” 

Mark nodded and swallowed. Guilt and shame swirled painfully behind his eyes. 

“I’ll check on Haechan later,” Johnny grunted as he leaned forwards. “Taeyong will take care of him for now.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys - today's update is on the shorter side. Another chapter will be up in a few days :) 
> 
> ~Ahnohn

# Chapter Twelve

Haechan had cooled somewhat by the time he got to the main house. His blind anger had settled to something much more insidious and internal. As he walked up the stone staircase to Taeyong’s wing, counting his steps against his breaths, he felt the aching persistence of shame and self-consciousness bite at his sternum from the inside. 

He was still angry. He was angry at Johnny for putting him in that position, but the Alpha had been right – he _should_ have been able to handle it. Johnny wasn’t the problem. Johnny treated him with respect and expected more of him. Johnny treated him like an equal. 

More than anything, Haechan was angry that he had been born an Omega – that he had lived so many years of his life assuming he would be immune from the trappings of such a Presentation, and that as much as he denied it to the others, to Taeyong, and to himself, he would always be subject to the fact that he was built to respond to the scent of an Alpha. 

Haechan blinked and thought of Mark’s skin, his collar bones, his lips, his dark eyes, his scent. 

Haechan was flushed as he got to the top of the staircase. The guard outside Taeyong’s door greeted him uneasily. It was a young guard, and the soldier’s soft face blushed at the sudden company. 

Haechan hadn’t stopped to think about how he must have looked. He knew his clothes were dirty with the dust of the sparring ground. He knew that his expression was sour and that his face was probably still flushed with the scent he’d inhaled.

“Good afternoon,” the soldier said, his voice soft in surprise as Haechan approached him at speed. 

“I’m here to see Taeyong,” Haechan said sternly. He moved forward to open the door, but didn’t get far. 

“Sorry,” the soldier said politely as he moved in front of Haechan. “Johnny said no visitors until he gets back.” 

“I was just with Johnny; he knows I’m here,” Haechan countered impatiently. He edged forward but the soldier pushed him back.

“I can’t let you go through.” 

Haechan exhaled in frustration and banged loudly on the door around the Alpha’s figure. “Taeyong!” He shouted, his voice echoing in the stone hall like an explosive. “It’s me – can I come in?” 

“Johnny said that we couldn’t let anyone in,” the soldier kept speaking. “You have to leave.” He put a hand on Haechan’s arm and pulled with just enough force to wrench him back a step. As he did so, Haechan hissed suddenly in pain. 

It was reflex – that after being surrounded so completely by one Alpha’s scent, another Alpha suddenly being so close was profoundly unpleasant. 

The soldier seemed to be about to say something further, but before he could, the door clicked open loudly. 

Taeyong’s angular features – pale and beautiful – appeared in the doorway framed by sunlight from one of the open windows behind him. “Haechan?” He spoke in soft surprise as he took in the Omega’s flushed face. 

“Can I come in?” Haechan asked, his voice uneasy. He was so relieved to see Taeyong that he almost stopped breathing. There were too many Alphas all around him. In that moment he hated every single one of them. He needed them gone. 

The edge of desperation wasn’t lost on Taeyong. “Of course you can,” he replied quickly. He reached out and shepherded the teenager through the doorway. 

“Your Grace,” the soldier spoke quietly in objection as Haechan disappeared into the rooms. “I was told not to let anybody in until Johnny comes back from the sparring grounds.” 

“Do you serve Johnny or do you serve me?” Taeyong asked deeply as he leant against the frame of the large door. He crossed his lean arms over his chest. 

The soldier swallowed. “You, sir.” 

“Then let me deal with Johnny.” He shut the door. 

Haechan felt like an empty shell as he stepped over the threshold into Taeyong’s room. He heard the elder Omega shut the door on the soldier and felt thanks flourish through him. He closed his eyes and walked straight to Taeyong’s bedroom. It still smelt like the two of them. He breathed deeply, pulled off his heavy shoes, and immediately curled up on top of the covers. 

He shut his eyes and buried his face in the plush blankets. 

“Haechan,” Taeyong said from the doorway to the bedroom. The curtains were open and light was flooding the space. “What happened?” 

Taeyong’s voice wasn’t gentle or soothing. Taeyong wasn’t that sort of Omega. For someone who looked so beautiful and ethereal, he held a stark pragmatism about him that was sharp in contrast to his gentle handsomeness. He was fiercely protective of his friends – of whom he had relatively few – but he wouldn’t suffer any bullshit from them either. 

Haechan glanced up and saw the Omega had his arms crossed, his grey eyes appraising him from below a raised brow. “I’m sorry.” Haechan groaned as he closed his eyes and nested further into the blankets. He _knew_ this wasn’t appropriate. Taeyong was Prince in a very powerful family. What the group of them got away with in the wilderness of unclaimed lands couldn’t continue here. But with the soothing scent of Taeyong around him – a scent free of the numbing and dominating and pheromonal power of an Alpha – Haechan would fight to stay. “Please, I just needed to get away from them.” 

Taeyong walked closer, concern edging into his gait. “What happened?” He asked again. 

He looked at Haechan seriously for a moment and then, in the teen’s silence, leant closer to the Omega. He touched his hair and leaned close enough to sniff his neck lightly. 

“What is that?” He asked as he got an edge of the alien scent that clung there. 

“Johnny was mad at me because I gave Mark my coat last night.” 

Taeyong stood back up, his arms still crossed, and frowned slightly as he listened. He couldn’t judge Johnny so far, that was pretty stupid. 

Haechan didn’t open his eyes. He curled up tightly on the bed. “So he made me do drills wearing it this morning.” 

“Wearing the coat that Mark had been in all night?” 

Haechan nodded. 

Taeyong uncrossed his arms. He looked at the teen and felt a rare pang of concern. He ran his fingers through his own hair as he thought about this. “How bad was it?” 

Haechan’s eyes scrunched tightly for a moment. The teen’s expression was one muted in pain and embarrassment. “Like, the worst.” He exhaled, but it came out as more of a growl. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be here.” 

“You’re a strong soldier, Haechan,” Taeyong said, his voice impartial and unemotional. He wasn’t denying the assertion Haechan had made either. “I’m surprised it got to you like that.” 

Haechan opened his eyes. It wasn’t his expression, but his eyes alone, that betrayed his emotionality. Taeyong’s chest tightened as he saw the pain swirling in them. “I hate this.” 

Taeyong took a breath and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at the ceiling as he stroked his fingers through Haechan’s hair. 

Haechan sighed again as Taeyong’s fingers trailed against his scalp. “I’m sick of it. I hate it.” He nestled instinctively closer to Taeyong’s body. 

Taeyong wasn’t new to this. He had been through what Haechan was feeling. But Taeyong had Presented young, and he’d never had notions of another path stretched before him. He had never really thought he _wouldn’t_ be an Omega. He hadn’t thought about it that much at all. And now that he _was_ an Omega, it felt like it had just always been a part of him. 

He fiddled with Haechan’s hair. “How long ago did you Present, Haechan?” 

Haechan sniffed. He shifted so that one of his hands was under his cheek. The other, resting in front of him, began to pick absently at the edge of Taeyong’s jumper. “A year?” he hummed without opening his eyes. “Maybe less.” 

“That’s not long enough,” Taeyong said. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean you Presented late, and you haven’t had time to adjust yet.” 

“You mean I won’t hate this forever?” There was an edge of sarcasm in the teen’s weary voice. 

Taeyong smirked. “No, you’ll hate it forever,” he said, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. 

Haechan opened his eyes and looked at the edge of Taeyong’s jumper. 

“But it gets easier.” 

Haechan huffed. “I’m counting down the days.” 

Taeyong pushed Haechan back and lay down next to him. Haechan didn’t speak. 

Taeyong rested his head on the same pillow so that they were looking at each other. “You can’t keep rebelling against yourself like this,” he moved his fingers from Haechan’s hair to his hand. “Alphas will always smell good. You will always respond to them the same way. You can’t change that.” 

“That _sucks_ though.” 

Taeyong smirked. “There are things to like about it.” 

“Name _one_ ," Haechan challenged. The teen had closed his eyes again. 

Taeyong pursed his lips. “Think of how great heats will be when you’re mated.” 

Haechan opened his eyes and recoiled in slight disgust. “Gross, Taeyong. You say that like it’s a given too.” 

“I don't know what to tell you, Haechan,” Taeyong said in the face of the teenager’s defiance. “Yes, sometimes it feels like we got the shit end of the deal, but it is what it is. You’re an Omega in a Guard – you couldn’t have expected that to be easy, surely.” 

Haechan swallowed and a flicker of sincere sadness passed over his features. “Do you ever wish you weren’t an Omega?” 

Taeyong moved his hand back to Haechan’s face. He rested his palm against the younger wolf's cheek and rubbed his thumb slowly across the rise of the cheekbone beneath his eye. “I’m curious, I guess,” he said quietly. “But I’m glad I am what I am.” 

“Why?” 

“You’re a nosy brat.” Taeyong smirked, an edge of self-consciousness entering his expression. He looked away, but committed to speaking, despite the personal nature of the disclosure. “I guess it feels like if I wasn’t an Omega, I wouldn’t be me. I wouldn’t...” Johnny’s eyes flashed before him. He paused for a moment, clearing his mind. “I reckon most people don’t actually think they’ll be one thing and turn out another,” Taeyong said as Haechan’s eyes turned thoughtful. “They can hope for something, but they don’t really believe in it like I think you might have.” 

Haechan swallowed and shifted under Taeyong’s hand. He sighed softly, the exhalation imbued with emotion and hurt. 

“Take your shirt off,” Taeyong said suddenly. He sat up and pulled his jumper from his chest. 

“What?” Haechan opened his eyes. 

“Don’t expect me to do this older brother crap all the time. I just want this heat gone and you look really lonely and sad right now.” He brushed his hair back with his fingers, folded his jumper and shirt, and placed them at the end of the bed. 

Haechan smirked and took off his shirt too and threw it on the floor beside them He exhaled softly as Taeyong settled next to him. With the sharp edge of Mark’s scent still dusted on his skin, having the other Omega so close was like a soothing aloe balm on sunburn. “I like cuddly Taeyong,” he mused mindlessly as he moved closer. They were lying on their sides facing each other. Haechan moved close so that he could press his forehead against Taeyong's warm chest. He was aware of how Omega-ry this made him sound and look, but Haechan couldn’t bring it on himself to care. 

“I’ll throw you out right now, don’t think I won't,” Taeyong mused, but Haechan knew he wouldn’t follow through such an act. He may have been serious and icy, but Taeyong was nothing if not maternal. 

“Who do you think smells best?” Haechan asked after a few moments of serene silence. He felt warm and calm and all the pleasant things he hadn’t experienced for days. 

“What?” Taeyong asked as Haechan settled with his forehead against his sternum. 

“Out of the four of them, who smells best?” 

Taeyong froze for a moment. “That’s a very personal question, Haechan.” 

“We’re half naked in your bed, Taeyong.” Haechan smirked, not moving any further away. He had said this with some levity, but Taeyong suspected that the teen may have been more emotional than he was letting on. 

Taeyong put his arm over Hachan’s torso and rubbed gently at the skin on his spine. He didn’t want to answer this question, but Haechan spoke on before he could deflect the topic to something else. 

“I’ve never had an Omega to just talk to like this," Haechan continued softly, almost as if Taeyong wasn’t meant to hear it. “Johnny, Lucas, my sisters... Jeno... They’re all Alphas.” 

Taeyong licked his lips and placed a gentle kiss to the crown of Haechan’s head. He hadn’t known this would reach into his chest and plant a seed of empathy there. He could feel it growing like bramble around his heart. He exhaled and felt a slight grumble of frustration build in him as the answer Haechan had been seeking climbed onto his tongue. “Johnny smells the best to me,” he whispered the disclosure before he could decide against it. Haechan instinctively knew the Omega would not repeat the words. They were spoken with finality and depth unbecoming of mere speech on air. “You?” 

Haechan breathed against Taeyong’s skin. The elder’s comment crackled in the space around them. They were surrounded by clandestine honesty. “It's Mark," he said after a moment. He put his hand on Taeyong’s bare side if only to feel more secure against him. “Why is it different?” he breathed as he traced the edge of Taeyong’s hip; fatigue legible in his voice. “Why don’t they smell the same to us?” 

Taeyong shrugged. “More questions I’d also like the answers to, Haechannie.” He kissed the crown of the younger wolf’s head again. “If Mark ever scents you again-” 

“-he didn’t scent me, his scent was just in the coat-” Haechan interrupted quietly, but it went unheard. 

“-if he scents you again and you can’t even beat Lucas in a drill afterwards, then I’ll beat you up myself, understand? I expect better of you.” 

Haechan smiled against the Omega’s skin. “Yes Taeyong.” 

“Actually, if he scents you, I’ll beat him up too.” 

“He didn’t scent me.” 

“Whatever.” 

* * *

Haechan stayed in Taeyong’s room all that night. Both the Omegas indulged in each other’s presence. Both of them craving another. 

Haechan felt warm and soft when he awoke. He smiled as he felt Taeyong resting on his chest again. It made him feel powerful and mature to have the Omega lying against him like this. Haechan breathed in deeply, feeling relaxed and content. He was on his back, Taeyong curled into him, his cheek pressed against his pectoral, his arm resting over Haechan’s chest, his fingers curled over his shoulder. 

Haechan stared up at the darkness above him. Mindlessly his thoughts wandered to what this might have felt like with someone he really loved... with someone he _wanted_. 

Lying there that morning, Haechan had a lot of time to think.

Taeyong was right. He had to stop fighting against himself. Being an Omega was part of who he was. It shaped the way he viewed the world, and if he let that view be skewed into darkness and self-loathing it would only serve towards his own detriment. 

And yes, he was an Omega in a Guard. He had chosen this life, and he was stupid to expect it to be anything other than challenging. 

But he was also blessed to be there. He was blessed to have trained as an Alpha before his Presentation, to have developed skills and honed his practice. And after he Presented, he was blessed to have found the right wolves at the right time, to have found the princeling who was watchful and savvy enough to see a wolf's value despite his Presentation. 

Yes, Haechan liked the way that Mark smelt. Yes, he would have melted into him in the sparring ground if he could have. 

But Haechan was also strong. He held his own power. And he was determined to use it. He refused to let being an Omega define him. He had to face these Alphas and show them all that he was more than his instincts and the weakness of his Presentation. 

He faltered and returned to the present as Taeyong moved against him softly. 

“...nny” the elder murmured before nestling more tightly against Haechan’s side. 

Haechan glanced down at Taeyong, intrigued. But from his angle he was unable to see anything other than the mop of the elder’s soft hair. 

“Are you okay?” he whispered. 

Taeyong was still asleep. The Omega exhaled slowly, still in the throes of dreams. “... missed you.” 

Haechan swallowed and decided not to speak again. This wasn’t meant for him, he was sure. 

* * *

Johnny walked into the bedroom a few hours past dawn and almost choked. The smell was overwhelming. 

Haechan was awake, the teen’s eyes were bright with amusement as he watched Johnny enter the room. After a long, restful night, Taeyong was still lying on top of him. Both shirtless, their intimacy wasn’t even shrouded by a blanket. 

“Taeyong, seriously?” 

Taeyong jolted awake at the sound of Johnny’s deep voice. 

“Johnny?” He asked. One of his pale cheeks was bright red where he’d been pressed against Haechan’s chest. His eyes were dilated in comfort with Haechan’s warmth. 

“Hey!" Haechan complained to Johnny loudly as Taeyong brought himself up onto one elbow and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand, the separation causing cool air to move quickly between them. “I was warm and enjoying myself,” he cooed like a petulant child. 

Johnny rolled his eyes and then looked at Taeyong. He tried not to stare at his collarbones and naked chest, but he couldn’t help but glance there. “Haechan was here all night again? What would your aunt say?” 

Taeyong grunted impatiently and sat up. “I don’t _care_ what my aunt would say.” 

Johnny crossed his arms and looked down at the Omegas seriously. “You were both missed last night.” 

“It’s not my fault I have been locked in these rooms, Johnny,” Taeyong said icily. 

Haechan, without the warmth of Taeyong against him, seemed to have shrunk under Johnny’s gaze. Not for the first time, he recognised something possessive in the way Johnny looked at him when he and Taeyong were so close. He cleared his throat and looked away. 

“What’s your excuse, Haechan?” Johnny asked seriously. “You know you should have shown up to dinner. We were all expecting you.” 

“I was indisposed,” the teen responded as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. His bare torso was textured with goosebumps in the open air. “As a member of Taeyong’s Guard, my primary duty lies with him.” 

A silence settled over the three of them. Johnny wasn’t buying it for a second. 

“He was sad and needed a hug,” Taeyong responded with a wry smile. 

“You’re not a child, Haechan,” Johnny said. 

Haechan looked between them with a note of disbelief. What was this? His mother and father coming at him with the ‘ _I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed_ ’ act? 

“I _know_ ," he responded dryly. He stood and pulled on his jumper. “I’m much better now though, thanks for asking.” 

Johnny looked at Taeyong and let a soft smile slip through. “Whatever you did to the kid, it worked.” 

“I’m going to go and train,” Haechan said as he walked past Johnny. He didn’t care that Taeyong’s scent was thick in his clothes. In fact, he kind of enjoyed it. It was uncouth and inappropriate for Omegas to wear scents like badges. But this was different. It wasn’t an Alpha’s smell that surrounded him, it was an Omega. And all it spoke of was his closeness to his leader. There wasn’t even any heat left in it. 

Haechan’s eyes widened as Johnny grabbed his wrist. The Alpha seemed to have had the same thought at the same time. _No heat left._

Haechan winced as Johnny pulled him closer and ducked his head down to sniff at the dip of his shoulder and neck, where Taeyong's scent still lingered. The invasion of his space was sharply imposing, but Johnny was quick enough to escape any of Haechan’s retribution. He let him go as quickly as he had grabbed him, and looked straight to Taeyong. “It’s gone.” 

Taeyong sat up, excitement flashing in his eyes. “What?” 

Johnny immediately walked closer to Taeyong. Gently, he pushed his fingers through the Omega’s hair and angled his architectural face to the side. He took a single, deep breath against him and hummed softly. “Mm,” he murmured, enchanted, as he stepped away. “You’re clear, Taeyong.” 

Taeyong’s hands tightened into fists as he fell back on the bed, his lithe body stretching and tensing as he relished in the news. “ _Yes_ ,” he groaned. “ _Finally_.” 

Haechan laughed at the childish display. 

“That one hung around for _ever_ ,” he grunted as he stood. "Haechan, you work miracles.” 

“This means you won’t let me cuddle you for another three months, right?” 

Taeyong smiled again. “You are really into cuddling, aren’t you?” 

“I love hugs,” Haechan said like this should have been obvious. 

“Beneath it all, you really are such an Omega.” Taeyong hummed playfully as he pinched Haechan on the cheek. “And you are correct, no more hugging,” he picked up a shirt from the chest of drawers at the edge of the room and ignored the way Johnny looked away from him as he pulled the garment over his head. “No hugs for the next three months.” He pushed his hair back into place. “Johnny, I’m leaving. Right now. Let’s go.” 

“You need to wash first,” Johnny said loudly. “ _Both_ of you. You’ve stunk up the place... _again_.” 

“Whatever,” Taeyong said as he opened the door sharply. The soldier stationed on the other side jumped back in alarm at the sudden appearance of the Prince. 

“G-Good morning Your Grace,” he stammered as he fell back a step. His face began to flush at the thick scents of the Omegas that wafted from the room. “H-How are you feeling?” 

Taeyong didn’t even acknowledge him. He turned back to Johnny. “I’m going to the rose garden. Come with me.” 

“Taeyong,” Johnny said, his voice deep but edged with the slightest note of amusement, “you should report to your aunt.” 

Taeyong smiled and walked through the door. “I’m going to the rose garden,” he repeated impatiently. “I’m having one hour of peace before they give me another job to do.” He began to step away and then turned in a flurry of graceful movement to the soldier still gaping in surprise at the doorway. “You didn’t hear anything, okay?” 

The soldier nodded blankly, clearly still unable to think. 

“Have fun!” Haechan shouted, still standing inside the Prince’s rooms. 

Johnny rolled his eyes. “Haechan, are you-” 

Haechan waved him away, “I’m going to find Lucas.” Johnny went to speak, but Haechan interrupted him, “I’ll wash first, Johnny, I promise.” 

Johnny nodded, happy enough to settle for this verbal contract before jogging out of the room after Taeyong. It was clear his priorities lay elsewhere.

Haechan smiled to himself. Things were getting back to normal. 


	13. Chapter 13

# Chapter Thirteen

It had only been a single night since Jaehyun had been tested, but already Mark was becoming more relaxed. Mark and Jaehyun had been given fresh clothes – uniforms with the coats of deep black that Mark so admired on Johnny and the others. Wearing the thick coat made him feel powerful and important. They slept in the barracks with Lucas and ate with him at the mess. Mark began to notice that as they walked around the grounds, people would look at them differently. Lucas was right – just by affiliation with Taeyong they had instantly been regarded with a different attitude. The shift was palpable. 

That first night after the fight, as they went to bed in the barracks with blankets and fresh air and no locked doors holding them captive, Lucas had handed Mark Haechan’s coat. It was still dusty from the floor of the small sparring ground. 

Mark had looked at the garment hesitantly and swallowed. He had noticed Lucas pick it up before they’d left the sparring ground, but he hadn’t thought for a moment it would be returning to him. Just seeing it again filled him with simultaneous yearning and regret – the image of Haechan’s anger that afternoon was palpable in his mind. “I don’t...” memories of the Omega’s response to him – of his own lack of control – flooded back as he had gazed at the dusty material. “I don’t think I should have that anymore.” 

“Haechan has better coats. This one already smells like you, and it’s warmer than the one you were given today.” He put it on the edge of the bed. 

Perhaps it was inevitable, but Mark had resisted at first. He left the coat slung over the foot of his bed for as long as he could. But in the middle of the night, when the icy cold of early winter darkness had begun to hold him, Mark had given in. He gathered the garment from the end of his small bed and slipped it on over his jumper, curling in to conserve his warmth through the night. There was a hint of Haechan’s scent still imbued in the cloth. 

Mark settled into sleep that night dreaming about the smell of the Omega, praying that some of his essence would stay in the thick garment forever. 

He didn’t miss the way Jaehyun looked at him when they awoke at dawn. The elder’s dark eyes were concerned as they trailed slowly over the worn fabric of the garment against Mark’s skin. But he didn’t say anything. Deciding there was permission in silence, Mark had kept the coat on as they began their day. 

After breakfast, Jaehyun and Lucas had gone to visit a physician on the other side of the cluster of barracks, closer to the Main Street of the city. Following the fight, Jaehyun had been bandaged across the chest and told he needed to be monitored for possible broken ribs. Jaehyun was in good spirits though, and maintained he was in serviceable health. 

Jaehyun had told Mark sternly not to talk to anyone while they were gone if he could avoid it (after all, his ignorance was jarringly strange). Lucas had suggested he look around the endless gardens to kill some time. He vaguely described the perimeters of Guard and private land of Taeyong’s family, and the ways in which the matrix of meandering pathways intersected along the higher ridge of the estate, but Mark found his directions complicated and confusing. 

In the end, Mark had settled for following nothing more than his feet and the sound of the birds until a wandering path opened up before him. He climbed a small hill until he came to a sharp retaining wall. Unexpectedly, a view down into a shadowed valley of lush forest opened up before him – a window into the comforting chaos of the natural existence of Elden. 

He stared out at the view and exhaled slowly. The vantage was beautiful yet also secluded. Knowing Jaehyun and Lucas were likely to be gone a few hours, Mark decided to spend some time in the peaceful spot. He quietly took a seat on the retaining wall and dangled his legs over the edge, where he comfortably gazed at the forest below him. Haechan’s jacket was warm on his shoulders, shielding him from the gentle chill in the morning air. A mess of garden framed the view, the air was fresh and clear in his lungs. The last scintillating edges of the night’s frost glistened in shaded corners of the greenery. 

Mark inhaled slowly and felt a smile creep gently across his face. He liked it here, in this alien world of cold air and secrets. Where he could wear heavy, black coats and feel important and smell nice things. 

He was so deep in his relaxation that Mark almost yelped as a twig snapped loudly behind him. Pulled immediately from his peaceful reverie, he wrenched himself sharply around to identify his company. 

He swallowed as he recognised the wolf. 

Blind adrenaline softened to a different kind of nervousness. “Haechan?” He asked, his eyes wide and his voice breathy. 

He hadn’t seen the Omega since the incident in the sparring grounds. Just the thought of the way Haechan had looked up at him, the smell of his scent in the air, the blind wanting in his eyes. It was enough to make Mark tense with anticipation. Guilt bit at him, shame and fear burdened his lungs. 

He was staring, and it wasn’t until Haechan spoke that Mark realised how dumb he must have looked. 

“Hey,” Haechan greeted casually as he came closer. He eased himself up onto the stone retaining wall and sat cross-legged next to Mark. His body held none of the same tension as Mark’s own. 

Mark watched as the Omega gazed out at the forest before them. The gentle, morning sunlight made his skin look soft and smooth. Mark observed him wordlessly, not knowing what to say. Should he pretend the incident at the sparring ground never happened? Should he apologise? He couldn’t stop looking at the curve of Haechan’s lip. He couldn’t find the right words… _any_ words. 

Haechan licked his lips, knowing he was being watched, and glanced to Mark with a gentle smirk. 

Mark looked away sharply, embarrassed. “I’m not supposed to, um, be near you at the moment.” He swallowed and scratched at the back of his head. “After yesterday...” he blushed and looked at his hands, “Jaehyun told me to give you space until I’m more used to everything.” 

Haechan listened patiently to Mark’s hesitant voice, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, once Mark’s timbre had settled in the fresh air, he edged closer. He reached out and ran his fingers over the dark collar of the coat Mark was wearing. His fingertip brushed the Alpha’s neck like a whisper as he flicked the thick material up off his shoulder. “You’re still wearing this?” 

“Lucas gave it to me again last night,” Mark smiled with some embarrassment. His expression was guilty and a tinge fearful of what Haechan might think. He could feel heat in his cheeks. “I was too cold to say no.” 

Haechan didn’t take his eyes from the material in his fingers. “I think it’s yours now.” 

Mark licked his lips. He had to say _something_. This felt too strange. “I’m really sorry,” he glanced to the teenager, but when his eyes met Haechan’s, he couldn’t help but sharply look away again. He clasped his hands between his legs and looked down. “I’m so bad at this... and I know I must have made it worse for you yesterday. Worse than I’d already made it...” 

Again, Haechan didn’t respond to his comments. He let the words settle before speaking again. “You look really good in it,” Haechan said as he leant back. He uncrossed his legs and dangled them over the retaining wall. His knee touched Mark’s lightly as he settled. “I like that you have it.” 

Mark didn’t know what to say. He felt shy and flustered and like no matter what he could say, it would be the wrong thing. But for the first time, Mark also felt like it didn’t matter. Haechan was speaking like normal. His voice carried the same resonant quality of their whispered conversations by campfire. Mark felt a smile bubble on his features. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Haechan looked at him from the corner of his eye. He smirked and a canine peeped from his top lip. “It’s kind of like I’ve claimed you.” 

Mark swallowed and scratched at his temple self-consciously. His instinct had bristled against this comment. “Oh.” 

“You don’t like that?” Haechan asked quickly, his eyes piercing. 

Mark felt like he was being tested, but he didn’t know what the correct answer was. All that surrounded him was dark forests of Haechan’s questions. But he was beginning to realize that he didn’t mind the idea of stumbling through the shadows of the Omega’s games if it meant he could keep speaking to him. If it meant he would keep him around. 

What was the answer Haechan wanted? The truth, perhaps? “I don’t... mind it.” Mark breathed, self-conscious. He blinked slowly and shifted, wincing as he felt Haechan’s coat move against him. He cleared his throat. Haechan’s watchful gaze felt like searing sunshine compared to the gentle chill in the morning air. “Um, Jaehyun did tell me to stay away from you until I’ve gotten used to...” 

Mark’s voice faded as Haechan reached out to grasp gently at his wrist. He maneuvered the Alpha’s hand over until his palm was facing upward. Haechan linked their fingers together loosely on the warm material of Marks thigh. 

Mark went still. He swallowed and glanced from their intertwined hands to Haechan’s face and back again. He had a reflexive urge to separate them, but he fought against it. He glanced behind them in case of company at the potentially improper contact, but empty forest stared back. They were alone. “Um...” 

“I’m immune to you now, Mark.” Haechan spoke with a voice like honey. 

Mark could feel himself blushing. He looked down at their intertwined hands again. Haechan’s fingers were warm against his. “Oh,” he said, even though he didn’t know what this meant. His fingers flinched under Haechan’s own. 

Haechan leaned closer and put his head against the Alpha’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and smirked at the tension in the Alpha’s body. 

“Haechan... what are you doing?” Mark breathed; his voice unable to climb higher than a whisper. His body felt hot where the Omega rested against him. 

“You scented me yesterday,” Haechan said from his spot against Mark’s shoulder. He stared out at the forest contentedly. “When I was all messed up, you came over and let your scent out. It was really rude.” 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Mark could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He remembered that moment in alarming detail. All he had wanted to do was make Haechan feel better. But all he had done was make it worse. 

“I know Jaehyun thinks you should stay away from me,” Haechan shifted the way their hands intertwined so that their fingers interlinked even more tightly. “However, I think the best way to train restraint is immersion.” A glimmer of amusement was in his voice, but underneath the bravado was a tiny kernel of sincerity. 

Mark tried not to look panicked. He moved his hand beneath Haechan’s own, but he didn't try to separate them. Rather, he tightened his hold against Haechan’s hand for a moment, testing the reality of this situation. 

He licked his lips, intuitively knowing that Haechan was also looking at the way their fingers were linked. “I’m not sure Johnny would agree with that idea.” 

He looked down to see Haechan staring up at him, amusement bright in his dark eyes. 

“You’re enjoying this,” Mark’s expression pulled into mirth. His voice wasn’t accusatory, rather he was basking in his own recognition. 

Haechan grinned and moved back so that their faces were more level. “I like you Mark,” he said as he used his free hand to pat the Alpha’s forearm above their linked hands. “I believe in you, so I’m going to train you not to be useless.” 

Mark looked down, unable to fully reconcile what was happening in his mind. “You mean, you’re going to torture me all the time?” 

“In the name of personal development,” Haechan nodded, businesslike despite their intimacy. 

Mark smiled. “I’m going to die if they find out I’m letting you do this.” 

Haechan laughed loudly. “Ha, I'd like to see you try and stop me.” 

Mark looked at Haechan again. Their faces were so close that he lost himself in the teenager’s eyes for a moment. "I missed you,” he said suddenly. “After we got here, I mean. I... got used to you checking on me… and not seeing you yesterday...” he blinked slowly. “Crap, I... sorry... I don’t know what I was going to say.” 

Haechan smiled, cunning and happy. "You're really bad at this.” 

Mark inhaled again and suddenly consciously noticed the subtle flush of scent that was in the air. He choked in surprise and then groaned quietly as the scent whispered into his lungs. It was just a hint, but it still felt so powerful. It clouded his mind and fogged his cognitions. Haechan had baited him into mushy nothings without him even noticing. Such was this wolf’s power. 

“You’re so mean,” Mark said without any sincerity. Even in the haze of Haechan’s scent, he could appreciate what was happening. Haechan was reclaiming his power in their dynamic – refusing to let his lapse the previous day define their interactions in the future.

Haechan laughed and brought his scent back under control. “I missed you too Mark,” he smiled and nuzzled playfully into the Alpha’s shoulder again. “You’re so adorable and clueless. I have a big Alpha pup all to myself.” 

Mark blushed and glowered in silence. He wasn’t sure how that sat with him, but for now, he was happy to luxuriate in what he could only assume was Haechan’s bizarre form of forgiveness. That, and Mark really _had_ missed the teenager. Surrounded by all these older, intense Alphas, Mark found Haechan’s youth and playful honesty refreshing. 

They settled into silence and looked out at the forest, their hands still clasped together, warmth moving between them. “I’m not a pup," Mark said reflexively, but his voice was empty of any real negation. 

Haechan laughed. 

* * *

Johnny exhaled deeply and let his head loll back in the winter sunshine. 

Johnny wasn’t a particularly reflective kind of person. He knew when he was angry, he knew when he was happy, but that was about it. Aside from these moments, life tended to meander around him. 

Yet even he had been able to appreciate how relaxed he felt in the winter in this moment. How, as he had closed his eyes and welcomed the fresh air into his body with Taeyong beside him, he was behaving remarkably _unlike_ himself. His chest was aching from the fight with Jaehyun, his skin was brandished with bruises, but the docile moment in sunshine was still a precious echo of genuine and encompassing contentment with a wolf whom he wished to covet and protect. 

It had been an hour since Taeyong had run out of his rooms. A whole hour of uninterrupted peace. The moment was also eerie in its looming expiration; the two of them seemed to be hanging in a weightless vacuum before the pieces landed. The aunt hadn’t yet found out that Taeyong’s heat was over, lest she inform Taeyong of his next obligation. And yet, Taeyong’s heat _was_ over. They were both free of his scent and able to enjoy a moment without any cognitive burden of control. It was the glorious in-between, where just for a moment – so far, for an entire _hour_ – Taeyong and Johnny had been able to relax. 

Johnny was sitting on a wide, pillowed bench in the rose gardens; a small clearing surrounded by the last flowers of the season, that overlooked the valley. It was a clandestine spot, deep in the private gardens for the main family, and it was relatively difficult to get to. But Taeyong had always liked it. Since they were boys, he had come out here to get as high and far from the castle as possible. And again and again Johnny had come looking for him there, only to be held hostage by the gentle wish for company in the Omega’s luminous eyes. 

Today was no different. Taeyong was lying on the bench, his head against Johnny’s thigh. Serenity and peace surrounded them. 

As Taeyong shifted against him, Johnny mindlessly put his hand in the Omega’s soft hair. Despite his injuries from the fight with Jaehyun and all the flurry of activity finding the two rogue Alphas had incited, he felt more comfortable than he’d been in months. 

“Hmm,” Taeyong breathed as he blinked up at Johnny’s handsome face. “I like this.” 

“We’re not kids anymore, Taeyong,” Johnny responded reflexively. He let his fingers wander over the Omega’s skin. “There’s no time for this kind of thing.” His words contrasted with his actions. He was making no intention to move. 

“Then why are you here?” Taeyong questioned patiently. 

Johnny opened his eyes and smiled down at the Omega. “Because you asked me to come with you.” 

“That’s such a load of crap,” Taeyong said as he snuggled closer, his head settling in the dip between Johnny’s hip and his thigh. He was on his back, looking up at him. “You want to be here too. You like relaxing in the sun. With me.” 

“It’s hard not to enjoy it, I suppose.” Johnny looked down at him with a soft smirk. 

“You used to get angry if I fell asleep on you.” 

Johnny rolled his eyes and tousled the Omega’s hair gently and then patiently set about moving the soft strands back into place. “It wasn’t proper,” he said as he watched Taeyong blink slowly, his expression cat-like. “I thought your family would send me away if they found out we were that close.” 

“They would never have done that,” the Omega hummed. His eyes were just the slightest bit open, looking out at Johnny from below dark lashes and above pale cheeks. “You’re the only one who could always find me.” 

Johnny smiled, lost in memory. He peered up at the gardens around them and recalled chasing Taeyong to this very bench so many years before. Taeyong, before his Presentation, had run here, furious, after Ten (his newly presented Omega cousin) had claimed he had arranged to marry Johnny once they were of age. 

Ten had been lying, of course, but Taeyong – all of twelve years old – had trusted his words as truth. His distress, as it still sometimes did, had boiled over into anger; sharp and biting. 

Johnny looked down at Taeyong again. His memory of a child with ethereal features and ghostlike grace morphed into a man with equally compelling angelic qualities, but experience and savvy that made his dark eyes bottomless with thought and observation. 

His skin looked so smooth and soft in the sunlight, Johnny was suddenly overcome with the desire to touch him. He traced the edge of his index finger over the rise of the Omega’s brow bone and slowly down his pointed nose. “You’ve come a long way,” he said quietly as he indulged in memory. 

Taeyong closed his eyes as Johnny’s fingers moved over his features. He wanted to soak up the rare intimacies of the Alpha at rest. Johnny was never like this when they travelled, never like this when anyone else was around them. Convention and rules and what was proper was all he adhered to. Until Taeyong could pull them away to a place that resembled their shared childhood, without Presentations and expectations. “How have I come a long way?” 

“You don’t threaten to exile anyone who smiles at me anymore.” 

Taeyong smirked. “...I just realised that no one would listen to me if I tried it.” 

Johnny smiled. He returned his hand to Taeyong’s hair and didn’t say anything. The air around them was clear with midday sun. 

The Omega’s brow furrowed. He licked his lips. “Johnny,” he broached quietly, “about losing me, with the heat...” 

Johnny’s fingers stopped moving for a moment. He let his hand settle in stillness against the Omega’s hair. He glanced down at Taeyong’s face and nodded. “Yes?” 

“It wasn't your fault.” 

Johnny started moving his hand again. “We’ve spoken about this already.” 

“No, I mean,” Taeyong bit his lip for a moment, clearly uncomfortable about having this conversation, “you’ve protected me since before we Presented.” He reached out for Johnny’s wrist and gently pulled the Alpha’s hand from his hair. "You seriously think you could have just _lost_ me?” 

Johnny watched the distance Taeyong had created between them with a note of gravity. Taeyong’s fingers were cool against his wrist. “Clearly, somehow, I managed to lose you anyway.” 

Taeyong closed his eyes again. “I lied to you,” he said, his cheeks flushing lightly. When he looked back at Johnny, his eyes were dark and emotional. “I knew I was going into heat and I left on purpose.” 

Johnny’s brow furrowed. He sat forward in concern, pulling his wrist from Taeyong’s fingers. He didn’t know everything there was to know about heats and the way they were experienced, but he’d learnt what he could from Taeyong and Haechan and the Omegas in his family. There should have been _nothing_ worse than going through that alone. Plus, it was irresponsibly reckless for Taeyong to have made that decision by himself. 

“Why?” He asked suddenly, his voice taught with concern. “Haechan was with us. He could have helped. How could you run?” 

Taeyong licked his lips and sat up slowly. His air of careless contentment, of sunshine and quiet, had faded. Johnny noticed with a touch of mysticism that the sun had moved behind soft cloud-cover. The world was once again tinged grey. 

Taeyong angled himself on the deep bench so that he was sitting facing Johnny, his legs crossed loosely in front of him. He stayed close to the Alpha, so that his knee and thigh were raised against Johnny’s own. But still, he didn’t look into Johnny’s eyes. 

“It was you,” he breathed, his voice dark with something Johnny almost thought was shame. It was alien on the Omega’s lips. 

“Me?” Johnny spoke in response. He leant forward towards Taeyong’s beautiful face, concern flushing through him. 

Taeyong ran his tongue over his canine teeth slowly. His foxlike features pulled into a frown. It was so clear he didn’t want to voice the words on the tip of his tongue, but Johnny willed them forward. 

As if feeling this force flow through him, Taeyong grit his teeth and succumbed to speaking. 

“It’s you – your...” Taeyong was blushing now, but his eyes were heavy as he admitted the truth. “You smell too good, Johnny.” He licked his lips again and wiped his fingers over his forehead, tracing the warm tracks left by Johnny’s fingers when he’d felt along his features. “I couldn’t stay during the heat with you so close. The thought of it was... too painful.” 

Johnny let this information settle on him in silence. 

Wordlessly, Taeyong let himself fall forwards, so that his forehead rested against Johnny’s collarbone. 

“What does that mean, Tae?” Johnny asked as he breathed in against the crown of Taeyong’s head, hoping that their physical proximity would ensure he kept speaking. 

“It’s just...” he exhaled. “The thought of having a heat around you again... when we can’t do anything… I can’t imagine anything worse.” 

Johnny frowned. He reached up to rub softly at the Omega’s back. “If it happens out there again, I’ll go," he said, pragmatic. “There was no need for you to run. You can’t do that. It’s dangerous. If I’m the problem, Haechan, Lucas and... and Jaehyun,” he stumbled over the thought, “they’ll be able to protect you.” 

“I don’t want that,” Taeyong whispered. 

“What?” 

“It hasn’t changed you know,” Taeyong said more audibly. He sat back so that he could look into Johnny’s eyes. The Alpha didn’t move his hand from Taeyong's back, he just loosened his hold enough to let him move. Johnny met his gaze, but looked almost afraid of what he was going to say. “It hasn’t changed since we were kids.” 

“Tae...” Johnny breathed. The words landed on him and pushed him down. It felt like he was being forced underwater. 

Taeyong kept watching Johnny’s face, even as the elder looked away. “It’s still...” he licked his lips, “it’s still you.” 

Johnny inhaled and blinked up at the grey sky. He moved his hand from Taeyong's back to his shoulder, where he squeezed the Omega gently. He pressed the heel of his other hand against his brow for a moment. “Tae, this can’t... this isn’t...” 

“Why do you think I ran, Johnny?” Taeyong spoke quietly, but with an ember of frustration that hadn’t been there before. His voice was husky and painfully contained. Even in the middle of the secluded gardens, the reality of this conversation was frightening. If anyone heard it... _anyone_... the repercussions would be fearsome and swift. “Why do you think it was your scent that I couldn’t stand? It wasn’t Lucas. It’s not Jaehyun. It’s you. It’s always been you.” 

Johnny grunted, the sound deep and growl-like. He shut his eyes and subconsciously bared his canines as he leaned forwards to press their foreheads together in a rare show of intimacy. The rules cascaded down around them like sunlight, momentarily harmless and soft. 

He slipped his hand up from Taeyong's shoulder to hold his face. His fingers slipped into his hair. “I could have killed Jaehyun when I found your scent all over him, Tae.” His deep voice was nearly a whisper as he poured the disclosure from him like shadow. “I could have killed him just because I could smell you on him.” He opened his eyes to see Taeyong staring back. “But I _didn’t_. Of _course_ I didn’t. I wouldn’t let myself do that. We can’t let ourselves do stupid things. This isn’t something we can afford to do.” 

Taeyong swallowed. All he could see was Johnny’s eyes. All he could feel was the warmth of his hand on his face. They were so close. 

His breath hitched and he pushed himself forward. 

Their lips met softly. 

Taeyong shivered, a light breath escaped him as he felt Johnny’s canine press against his lip. The Alpha’s hand had become forceful on his cheek and in his hair, and he succumbed to the contact. Johnny exhaled as they settled against each other in the gentle kiss. It felt like glass breaking, or misty sunlight at dawn. It was like a deep breath of cold air when your core is warm, like watching the moon peek out from behind thick, silver clouds in deep night. 

Taeyong felt like he could melt. He opened his eyes softly, feeling heat rush through him as they parted. He could taste Johnny, could feel his skin against him. Their breath mingled. Their mouths were so incredibly close to meeting again that just the thought of it filled Taeyong with need. 

“Tae,” Johnny breathed, his voice deeper than it had been. He tensed his hand in the Omega’s hair and pulled him back slightly. But they were still close enough so that their lips brushed together as he spoke. “This can’t happen.” 

Taeyong nodded mindlessly, but his eyes were unfocused and wanting. Uncaring of the Alpha’s words, he moved forward again and pressed their lips together for a second time. He captured Johnny’s lower lip between his own and sucked on him gently. Every movement was careful and patient, as if too much pressure or speed would shatter the fragile reality scaffolded around them. 

It was peaceful and serene and calm and perfect. Taeyong felt a wave of warmth bloom over him as Johnny used the hand in his hair to guide him and bring them together again. The Alpha’s lips were moist and soft and warm. His body was strong, his taste intoxicating. Taeyong could feel him sigh into the kiss. The skin on the back of his neck prickled with goosebumps as Johnny used his tongue to gently trace the edge of his lip between their kisses. 

Yet even perfection could only be perceived against the dark shadows of reality. Taeyong clenched his eyes shut, feeling emotion burn his throat as his body responded to Johnny’s proximity, which he had craved for so long. Whenever they could share such moments, the stark light of duty was never far away. 

They parted with the quiet sound of their lips separating. 

Johnny opened his eyes slowly, unwilling to let the deep relaxation pass from him so quickly. He licked his lips and looked down, his thumb rubbing mindless circles on Taeyong’s cheek as he desperately fought an internal battle. Taeyong’s words had opened an old wound, and for a moment he was content to let it bleed. 

“It hasn’t changed for me either, Tae,” he admitted against Taeyong’s lips. Unable to stop himself, he kissed the Prince gently again. His mind went fuzzy with pleasure as Taeyong grunted and ran his tongue softly over his teeth 

Taeyong’s breathing increased. He went to move forwards to press against Johnny, to capture this moment again, to draw it out, to soak up every second before Johnny ripped it away from him. But Johnny didn’t let him. 

Taeyong sighed as Johnny anchored him where he was, the hand in his hair possessive and restrictive. He tried once more to move forward and kiss him again, but Johnny wouldn’t let him. “Don’t,” he said deeply as they separated. “We can’t.” 

Taeyong opened his eyes and looked up at Johnny with a glimmer of destructive frustration in his lustful gaze. “I want this,” he said, his tone one of a Prince to a Guard. 

Johnny wasn’t surprised by the tactic. “I won’t do it.” His voice was deep and directive. “I won’t.” 

Taeyong’s gaze hardened. His jaw clenched under Johnny’s warm palm. “You just did.” 

Johnny released Taeyong’s face and slowly moved his hand from the Omega’s skin. “I won’t do it again.” He didn’t look at Taeyong’s eyes. “You’re coming off a heat, Tae. This means nothing.” 

“The heat is gone,” he retorted sharply, angry at the cheap argument. “You told me that yourself.” 

“Then you’re fatigued,” Johnny said as he crossed his arms over his chest, choosing another excuse from the pile. He leaned back, separating them with finality. “You’ve been spending too much time with Haechan.” 

“Being knot-thirsty isn’t contagious.” 

Johnny growled at Taeyong’s words before he could stop himself. “Taeyong, stop.” He rubbed his hands through his hair. “Please. Stop.” He swallowed. “We can’t.” 

Taeyong sat back and looked at the roses around them. “I thought I owed you the truth,” he said quietly, feeling cold in the grey light, “about what happened with the heat.” 

Johnny nodded. “Thanks for telling me.” 

Taeyong looked at him skeptically. “Really?” 

Johnny swallowed and looked away. He crossed his arms. “I don’t know.” 

Taeyong sat in the grey quiet for a moment. He gave himself a few breaths to mourn the moment that had been lost. But he had seen it coming. Johnny would always slip back into his rules and duty. No matter how far Taeyong pushed him, his course would correct and the glimpse of sincerity would end. 

He swallowed and slowly lay himself back down. He put his head against Johnny’s thigh again, lying on his back so he could stare up at the thick clouds above them. He would share in the Alpha’s company for as long as he could. Yet the happiness he had so briefly experienced now cast him in even darker shadow. 

Johnny, hesitating, slowly brought his hand back to stroke through the Omega’s hair, as they had been arranged before the disclosures got the best of him. 

Taeyong sighed at the contact, relieved and saddened in equal measure. 

Johnny licked his lips, his expression serious and dark. “Tae,” Taeyong’s eyes slowly moved over to him. “You know there’s nothing I care about more than... than keeping you safe, right?” Johnny said quietly. His masculine expression was gentle. 

Taeyong grabbed Johnny’s hand from his hair and brought it down to his lips. He kissed the Alpha’s palm softly before letting him go. He couldn’t bring himself to speak. He rolled over so that he was on his side facing away from Johnny. He settled against him and sighed as warmth from his best friend’s thigh dissipated into his cheek. 

Johnny’s hand returned once more to his hair. 

Silence settled. Routine. Normalcy. The emotion in Taeyong’s chest was a confusing conflagration of sensual heat at their proximity and numbing cold in their distance. 

A few minutes later, Johnny spotted a young soldier walking steadily up the meandering path towards them, his black coat morphing with the dense undergrowth as he approached. The wolf didn’t seem to be aware that he was being watched. He didn’t look to be particularly expectant to find anyone or anything at all. 

Johnny’s guess was that the aunt had been informed of Taeyong’s absence from his rooms and had sent a cluster of the young Guards to search throughout the grounds. 

This particular one was just lucky that he’d been sent up to the precise secluded spot to which Taeyong had chosen to run. 

Johnny shifted, preparing to present a more dignified appearance for the company, but Taeyong groaned in protest. 

“Johnny,” he grunted, the familiar iciness of business entering his tone. “I see the kid coming and I don’t care. Stay exactly where you are.” 

Johnny hesitated, considering whether he could ignore Taeyong, whether he should have, but belatedly he decided against it. 

He returned to his position with Taeyong’s head against his thigh, but he settled for removing his hand from the Omega’s hair. 

The soldier was puffed by the time he got to the top of the hill. His youthful face was frowning as he gazed about the garden in interest. He clearly didn’t anticipate any company. He stopped to look at a particularly large, orange rose, preoccupied by the section of garden deep in the private lands that he had never been to and would likely never have reason to venture through again. 

Now able to perceive his face, Johnny recognized the boy as Jisung – a young Alpha trainee in the recruits of the main Guard. Johnny waited, patient with Taeyong still lying on his thigh, for the teenager to notice them. 

It only took a moment. One second the teen was looking around aimlessly, seeming to enjoy the excuse for a trek in fresh air, and the next he was facing the infamous Prince Taeyong lounging on top of his equally famous Head Guard. 

Jisung stumbled back a step, his mouth falling open in breathless surprise. He looked self-conscious and star-struck as his gaze stalled on the duo, the two of them surrounded by blooming roses. But once the shock of the company had jolted through him, he belatedly tightened his posture and bowed deeply. 

“Good afternoon Sir,” he greeted Johnny belatedly, as his mouth caught up with his brain. He lifted his head with a slight flush to his cheeks. “Good afternoon, Your Grace.” He glanced down at the Omega again before sharply returning his gaze to the famous Guard. “Sorry to interrupt. I... um... they only sent me up here because they didn’t think you would have come this far.” 

“Well, thanks for coming all this way,” Taeyong sighed, uninterested, as he nuzzled further into Johnny’s thigh. 

Johnny pat Taeyong’s hair placatingly. He knew Taeyong wasn't in a great mood at the moment – they were both preoccupied – and he didn’t want him to do anything reckless. “It’s Jisung, right?” 

The boy bowed again, surprised by the recognition. “Yes sir.” 

“Please forgive Taeyong’s mood.” Johnny pat the Omega more harshly now and Taeyong grumbled beneath him. 

“Okay, sir.” 

“I know you, Jisung,” Taeyong said beneath Johnny’s hand. 

The boy swallowed, surprised. “Y-You do, sir?” 

Taeyong nodded as he sat up. Johnny glanced to him. His profile was strikingly beautiful. His large eyes were watchful. “Are you one of the recruits Haechan teaches for archery?” 

The boy fidgeted for a moment, subtly uncomfortable. “Yes sir.” 

“He’s spoken about you,” Taeyong said, smiling. “ _Got good coordination_ , he told me.” 

Jisung looked down and smiled shyly. “Oh.” His youthful face flushed lightly. The grey light caught like dust in his fluffy head of hair. “That’s nice of him.” 

“How long ago did you Present, Jisung?” Taeyong’s voice was smooth like honey. 

Jisung swallowed and glanced at Taeyong, but again he could only bring himself to speak while looking at Johnny. “About three months.” 

Taeyong settled into the bench beside Johnny and leant against his shoulder. Johnny tried not to react at his proximity. “It must be difficult to take lessons from Haechannie so soon after your Presentation.” 

The teenager cleared his throat, desperately not wanting to say the wrong thing. This was a personal topic. In the months following Presentation, an Alpha was particularly susceptible to even the passive scent of Omega wolves. But Taeyong could have asked anything and he still would have felt obliged to answer. “Haechan is good at dealing with that, sir.” 

Taeyong was smiling, but the expression was edged with something knowing. “It’s sweet Haechan has an admirer.” 

Jisung clasped his hands before him and rocked his weight from foot to foot, obviously not knowing what to say. 

Johnny could feel how much Taeyong was enjoying this. He looked at the boy and saw a gentle flush blooming on his youthful face. Sympathy rose in him. This was unfair. 

“Haechan’s pretty, right?” Taeyong baited again. 

Jisung looked confused now, and a little ashamed. It was clear Taeyong had keyed into something personal. He opened his mouth, knowing he was obligated to respond, but his voice stalled in his throat. Taeyong’s eyes were sharp and playful. 

Johnny gave in with a sigh and relieved the kid of the burden of response. 

“What message have you brought us, Jisung?” 

Jisung was visibly thankful to be free of Taeyong’s questioning. “The Lady is requesting Taeyong attend with her this morning, sir.” 

“Can you tell her to leave me alone please?” Taeyong asked gruffly. 

Jisung’s eyes widened at the thought. In the silence that followed, his expression pulled into an empty, reflexive smile, evidence that he couldn’t think of what to say. “Uh…” 

“You don’t have to tell her that, Jisung.” Johnny assuaged. 

The boy nodded uneasily. 

“Do you know what she wants with me?” Taeyong asked as he looped his arm through Johnny’s and put his chin on his shoulder in a clearly intimate position. He watched the boy’s face carefully, as if his only intention was to make him uncomfortable. 

However, Johnny knew otherwise. He knew Taeyong had no interest in toying with the kid. His only intention was to see how far Johnny would let him go with company. How much contact he could make, or how explicit he could be with his affections, before the Alpha forced him back. 

Jisung tried not to focus on the unexpected display of skinship. Reflexively he glanced around to see if there was anyone else looking on. But the garden was quiet and still. “I think she wants to send you out for another formal visit,” he said softly. “But that’s just what I’ve heard.” 

Taeyong groaned loudly and abandoned his show with Johnny. He leaned forward and rubbed his hands over his face, letting some of his frustration leek into his voice. “My heat is gone for one hour and immediately we have to placate the Royals for her? Is it tax time?” 

Jisung, if he wasn’t flustered before, was now red with discomfort at the topic at hand. He licked his lips and looked anywhere but at the beautiful Omega in front of him. 

Johnny watched him with pity. The poor boy was still newly Presented, and to be thinking about Taeyong’s heat, of anyone, would have been overwhelming. It certainly was for Johnny. He had almost died when he and Taeyong had first Presented. 

“Thanks, Jisung.” Johnny smiled politely at the teenager. “You can head back now. We’ll come back down in a few minutes.” 

“Thank you, sir.” He said quickly and sincerely as he turned away. 

Johnny waited until Jisung had scurried out of eye-sight before turning to Taeyong again. The Omega was frowning lightly as he stared at the gardens, lost in thought. 

“Taeyong?” Johnny prompted quietly after a moment. 

Taeyong blinked and looked at him. There was distance in his dark eyes. He had returned to his Prince-like apprehensions. 

“We have to go.” 

Taeyong licked his lips and gazed over Johnny’s face slowly. “Do you ever get the feeling that everything is about to change?” 

Johnny shifted forward and swallowed. He couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t ready for this moment to pass. Slowly, he moved closer and lay his lips gently on the edge of Taeyong’s jaw, up by his ear. He hovered there for just a moment before pulling away. He didn’t look at Taeyong as he straightened. He adjusted his jacket. “Everything can always change,” he spoke softly. He stood and tried not to wince as his recent injuries from Jaehyun throbbed with pain at the movement. 

Taeyong looked away. He took one final breath of calm air and stood as well. 

Some things never changed. 


	14. Chapter 14

# Chapter Fourteen 

It had been a few hours, but the air was still crisp in the encroaching winter. Haechan and Mark had lost track of time. The forest breathed around them, content to house their burgeoning friendship within its placating presence. 

They stayed close. Mark’s nose and cheeks had acquired a soft redness in the icy breeze, but neither of them felt cold. They talked about everything and nothing, words flowed if only to justify time spent in the other’s presence. But one thing in their meandering conversation was clear to Haechan: Mark didn’t seem to enjoy talking about himself. 

Haechan settled into this resistance with some amusement alongside a dose of sincere competitiveness. Like most things that rose up against him, he decided it was his mission to break this down. 

“Did you know Lucas in the South too?” Haechan continued his half-hearted questioning as silence descended. 

Mark shook his head. “No.” 

“How did you meet Jaehyun?” 

“He was just around.” 

Haechan’s eyes narrowed. “Jaehyun said you weren’t in the Guard because you were too young. What were you doing for you guys to meet?” 

Mark looked at Haechan and smiled with genuine affection. He couldn't help it. He found the Omega’s attempts at probing sweet and amusing. “Why are you interrogating me?” 

Haechan rolled his eyes, but it was clear the Alpha's expression had disarmed him. 

Mark flushed with pride that his smile had seemed to tame the Omega somewhat. “What about you?” he redirected. “I heard Lucas say you’re a noble?” 

Haechan made a vague sound of frustration at the deflection and got to his feet with grace and agility. “I’m a hungry noble.” 

He waited patiently for Mark to follow him. 

They walked side-by-side down the narrow path, their casual strides in sync, through the forest and towards the barracks. Mark didn’t know the way, but Haechan seemed to. Content to follow the Omega, he put his hands in the pockets of his coat – of Haechan’s coat – and rolled his shoulders back, relishing in the company. 

He found interacting with Haechan to be easy and natural... at least when he wasn’t testing him or baiting him or performing for others. Mark felt bright and secure in his presence. Something about Haechan in these moments of stillness seemed so sincere. 

“You only had Jaehyun?” Haechan said suddenly as they moved through an area of taller trees, on the other side of the hill. “For two years, he was the only other wolf you saw?” 

Mark nodded. He glanced up for a moment to watch the way the dappled sunlight fell into Haechan’s hair. “Yep. Two years.” 

Haechan nodded and looked at Mark thoughtfully. “Must have been lonely.” 

Mark licked his lips and shrugged, slightly uncomfortable with the attention. “At least I wasn’t completely alone.” They walked a few paces in silence. 

He noticed Haechan watching him, clearly expecting elaboration, but Mark didn’t give in. 

“Are you ever going to talk to me about the South?” Haechan sounded lightly annoyed. 

Mark smiled. “Will you talk to me about the Coast?” 

Haechan looked at Mark with a glimmer of challenge in his eyes. “I’ll talk to you about anything.” 

Mark was lost for a moment in Haechan’s gaze. In that instant, he didn’t doubt the Omega’s sincerity at all. He swallowed and looked away. 

They were almost back in the thrum of the Guard buildings when the path they were on converged with a few others. There were more people about now. Mark could feel he and Haechan re-entering the activity like a buzzing static being layered over the purity of their clandestine time together. It was jarring, after being so consumed by Haechan’s presence, to remember there were even other people in the world. He sniffed and blinked around, struggling to identify where they had popped back out from the forest. Nothing looked familiar. 

He was gazing around, following Haechan in his peripheral vision, when suddenly the Omega jolted forward. 

Around a slight corner, a young Alpha had converged onto the path ahead of them. 

“Hey!” Haechan laughed in recognition. He stepped away from Mark and jogged ahead a few paces to sling his arm around the teenager's shoulders from behind. “Jisung!” His loud voice was affectionate. 

The wolf looked startled at the sudden contact, but smiled as soon as he recognized it was Haechan beside him. He leaned into the embrace, clearly used to such physical displays of affection from the wolf, and shyly patted the Omega’s back in response. “Hello sir,” he said, his voice unexpectedly deep as it emanated from his youthful frame. “Welcome back, sir.” 

“It’s _Haechan_ _,_ ” he cooed loudly. “I haven’t seen you in weeks. I swear you’ve grown again.” 

The teenager’s face was going red. “Only a little bit.” He smiled and looked away from Haechan’s contagious energy. 

But in looking away, his eyes fell straight onto Mark. 

Mark hadn’t meant to look unhappy or intimidating, but apparently, he was exuding both. Jisung’s mirthful expression faded as he looked from Mark’s eyes down to the coat he was wearing. 

It was just a black coat – like all the others – but the kid seemed to _know_ that it wasn’t his. 

Mark set his gaze more firmly. 

“Good afternoon,” Jisung greeted formally. He could tell the Alpha was older, and it was always safer to be polite, but he kept an edge of watchfulness in his voice that Mark didn’t ignore. 

“Mark,” Haechan said as he brought the boy closer towards him by the arm he had slung across his shoulder, “this is Jisung, my best archery student.” 

Jisung blushed at the praise. 

“Nice to meet you, Jisung,” Mark lied. His voice sounded alien to his own ears. He looked at the arm Haechan had around the teenager’s neck. He knew this kid was an Alpha. He could smell it like a bitter taste in the sweetness of Haechan’s company. 

“Jisung,” Haechan said to the boy, their faces close. “This is Mark. I’m looking after him. Johnny picked him up on our way through the Wilds.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Jisung spoke quietly. He held out his hand politely and they shook tersely. 

“Why are you out here?” Haechan asked as he pushed the three of them back into step towards the barracks. He moved forward slightly, still holding onto Jisung, so that Mark was on his other side. 

“I was sent to look for Prince Taeyong,” he answered dutifully, his voice once again rounded and soft. 

Mark’s brow furrowed at the use of the honorific. For a moment he considered how privileged he was to have spoken to Taeyong so informally on their travels. 

“Was he in the rose garden?” 

Jisung looked at Haechan, startled. “Yes, how did you know?” 

Haechan shrugged and ruffled the teenager’s hair a little. “I’m amazing," he glanced back at Mark and smirked, "Right Mark?” 

Mark swallowed, unsure of whether he liked being part of this game. He nodded, which seemed to be enough. 

Haechan turned his attention back to Jisung. 

“Um, Johnny was there too and they were, um...” Jisung glanced to Mark, unsure of what to say in his company. “They were... quite... close.” 

Haechan smirked at Jisung’s shock, but didn’t comment on his observation. “Why are they looking for Taeyong?” 

Jisung smiled shyly under Haechan’s question. He found it difficult to lie to the Omega. “I don’t know.” 

“What was the message Jisung?” Haechan cooed this question. “You can tell me – I'm your favourite teacher, right?” 

Mark’s jaw clenched. 

Jisung blushed and smiled softly. Clearly this was true. “I think you guys are going to be sent out again soon.” 

Haechan groaned with some apprehension. “Really?” 

“That’s pretty much how Taeyong responded too,” Jisung chuckled and covered his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“He didn’t swear at you, did he?” 

“No.” 

“Good.” 

“He um...” Jisung shifted and glanced around before bringing his face close to Haechan’s ear. Mark clenched his jaw and looked away. “He said he has been in heat.” 

Haechan smirked at the shy self-consciousness in the teenager's disclosure. “Oh Jisung – you're growing up so fast,” he nuzzled his face into Jisung’s cheek and laughed. Jisung, while he didn’t seem to dislike the display, did look a little uncomfortable at the disinhibited contact. “Ignore Taeyong.” Haechan smiled and motioned over towards Mark vaguely. “Mark is kind of like you, you know. I’m the first Omega he ever smelt.” 

Mark cleared his throat and looked away. “Second,” he corrected with a husky voice. He closed his eyes for a few paces to clear his head and make sure his scent was under control. He was weirdly jumpy watching Haechan so close to this kid. It took more conscious effort than he would have liked to admit to control himself. 

Why did he care so much about this? 

Jisung appraised Mark with a note of disbelief in his honest, youthful expression. “Isn’t he like... older than you?” He asked Haechan quietly. 

“Shut up. He was stuck out in the Wilds,” Haechan said dramatically. “So really, he’s more like you.” 

Jisung didn’t know what to say. He nodded, as if understanding, and was glad that the elder Alpha mostly ignored his company. It was a bit unorthodox that this Alpha had been up in the gardens together with Haechan when he was apparently so unaccustomed to others. But Haechan was a respected member of Taeyong’s Guard… not just any Omega. As Haechan had said to Jisung directly after he’d Presented and created a bit of trouble around the Omega’s sweet musk – he didn’t need protecting before Jisung became an Alpha, and he sure as heck didn’t need it now that he’d Presented. 

It wasn’t far to the barracks. The three of them walked mostly in silence down the rest of the forested pathway. As they got to the clearing, Jisung gently slipped himself from under Haechan’s arm and smiled at him politely. 

“I’ve got to go report back,” he said quietly. “Hopefully you’re still here for training tomorrow.” 

Haechan smiled as he moved back towards Mark, who’d angled himself slightly away from them both. “Hopefully~” he sang. 

Jisung smiled shyly and walked silently in the other direction. 

Haechan watched him go for a moment before slipping his arm through Mark’s and tapping both his hands around the Alpha’s warm palm. The coat was textured as he brushed his cheek against his shoulder. He’d just noticed that Mark was the slightest bit taller than him. 

“What are you doing?” Mark asked huskily. It was one barrage of instinct to another with no break. His fatigued mind stuttered with effort. He closed his eyes to control himself before letting Haechan walk them away. 

“Just getting warm again,” he said as he nestled closer. 

Mark still had his eyes shut as he struggled to maintain his composure with Haechan’s warmth leaking into his side. He was irrationally relieved to have him back so close after the brief interaction with Jisung. But Haechan was patient and quiet. He didn’t speak, but rather guided Mark forward silently, choosing not to distract him with any other directives. 

It may have only been a few more steps before Mark could hear busyness rousing around them. He opened his eyes to see they’d come to the back wall of the main sparring ground, which today was alive with more activity. He could feel Haechan preparing to let him go, to maintain a bit more distance in the midst of company, but before he could, both he and Haechan froze. 

Lucas and Jaehyun had rounded a corner right beside them. 

“Crap,” Mark breathed. He stepped away from Haechan and tried not to look at the Omega’s face as cool air flooded into the space between them. He felt numb and bitterly cool. It was almost like the sun had instantly fallen behind looming thunder clouds. 

“Mark?-” 

“-Haechan!” 

Jaehyun and Lucas addressed them both at the same time. 

“What are you doing?” Lucas’s expression was bordering on panicked. 

Mark looked to Jaehyun’s face – a deep purple bruise had flourished like an ink stain on his jaw – but turned away at the concern imprinted in the elder's deep eyes. 

He realised suddenly that Jaeyun and Lucas were worried about what he might do to Haechan... what he might have done to him. Guilt swept through him at the realisation he should have been more concerned with this too. 

“We told Mark to stay away from you until he’s trained up,” Lucas said sternly to Haechan. 

“I went to him.” Haechan crossed his arms against the cool air. For the first time in a few hours, Mark wasn’t close enough to keep him warm. “He didn’t do anything. He’s doing really well. He only slipped for a sec when we saw Jisung and I was acting friendly with him.” 

Mark looked at Haechan sharply, forgetting momentarily about their company and the seriousness of the topic. “That was a test?” He asked, sounding a bit more relieved than he should have. 

Haechan spared a moment to chuckle at the teenager’s naivety, but he turned back to Lucas before he could be interrupted further. “We’re probably going to be sent away again soon, and what good will it be if Mark isn’t allowed to be _near_ me? You’ll go without me? The _only_ non-Alpha Taeyong’s got? I don’t think so. You’ll leave Mark here? Without Jaehyun? No way.” 

Lucas grunted and rolled his neck. “Johnny is going to be furious, you know. You’re being reckless.” 

Haechan rolled his eyes and stepped closer to Mark. As soon as he did so, Mark felt his thoughts loosen. He sighed breathily, his head lolling forwards into Haechan’s neck as the Omega’s scent surrounded him in a cloud of soothing sweetness. He licked his lips and inhaled deeply against Haechan’s skin. His mind was completely empty of everything but the wolf. His eyes closed so that his dilated pupils were protected against invasive light. He reached out to hold loosely at Haechan’s jacket, lest he sway off-balance. 

Lucas covered his nose and stumbled back a step. “Haechan!” He shouted in shock. 

Jaehyun looked around to make sure they were far enough from the soldiers at the barracks to ensure Haechan’s brusque decision wasn’t being noticed. 

“If you keep baiting him like that, he’s eventually going to respond by trying to claim you.” 

“He’s too young for that, Lucas,” Haechan assured. Suddenly the scent was gone – Haechan had sharply withheld any more. 

Mark cleared his throat and felt his body bristle with discomfort at the sudden change. A soft breeze had dissipated Haechan’s scent almost instantly, and the clear air felt like ice. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see how close he was to the Omega. 

He swallowed and stumbled back a step. Shame flushed through him like bile. He forced his eyes to focus. “Sorry, I don’t feel so good.” 

Lucas watched the teenager with what, in any other circumstance, may have been amusement. But with the current situation before him, he felt nothing but concern. He looked back at Haechan accusingly. “You forget that he’s not young, he’s older than you. This is a dangerous game, Haechan.” 

“Sorry Mark," Haechan said to the young Alpha. He purposefully gave him space to recover. “That was unfair of me, but you didn’t do anything wrong and that’s the point I was making.” He turned to Lucas. “That always works to subdue the newly Presented recruits that don’t know what they’re doing around an Omega yet.” 

“Mark isn’t newly Presented, Haechan.” Lucas spoke on. 

“He might as well be.” 

“But he’s _not._ You don’t know how he’ll react. I don’t know. Even he doesn’t know.” 

Mark blushed at the conversation being spoken around him. He used the momentary lack of attention to walk over to Jaehyun. Part of him was craving the familiar scent of the older Alpha. There was protection and consistency in their relationship that he needed around him in that moment. 

Jaehyun too, felt something in him relax as Mark stood beside him. Like while the teenager was within his reach, he could control what might happen. He pat Mark on the shoulder reassuringly. 

“He’s not a monster, Lucas.” Haechan spoke on, his youthful voice was becoming frustrated. “He’s just a person – just like you. Why are you so afraid of what he might do?” 

Jaehyun was already looking at Lucas when the tall Alpha glanced back at him. Their eyes locked and again Haechan saw something serious and secretive pass between them, like it had in the cave mouth on their journey back. 

What if he _wasn’t_ just like them? What if he was right to be afraid of what he might do? 

“What?” Haechan asked, impatient at the secrecy. 

Lucas shook his head. “I just don’t want you taking chances.” He turned to Mark. “Clearly, Mark, you don’t mean Haechan any harm. It’s not that I think you want to hurt him, it’s just...” 

“I know.” Mark nodded. 

“Is Taeyong being sent out again?” Jaehyun asked as silence descended. 

Haechan nodded at the Alpha. “Yeah, we think so.” His voice was still tense. “That’s what Jisung said.” 

“Not much time to rest.” Lucas sighed, pleased for the switch in topic. 

Haechan scuffed his shoe against the dirt path. He didn’t want to be here anymore. “I’m going to go and eat.” 

He didn’t look at Lucas or Jaehyun, but he did look at Mark. He reached out to hug the Alpha gently. Mark returned the embrace with a hesitant arm around the Omega’s back. 

“Bye.” 

Mark nodded as he walked away. 

Lucas frowned and once Haechan had disappeared over the rise of the hill towards the main house, Jaehyun cleared his throat. 

“Mark, the three of us need to talk.” 

* * *

“Lucas knows.” 

The three Alphas – Lucas, Mark and Jaehyun - were sitting in a small shaded area, secluded from the rest of the buildings. They were on the outskirts of the barracks, close to the mammoth wall that enclosed the grounds of the estate from the township around it. Given the location, there wasn't any unintentional foot traffic. And on such a cool, cloudy day, they were all but guaranteed their privacy. 

Mark licked his lips and tried not to look concerned as this sentence settled on him. He was fatigued from navigating Haechan’s presence, and being thrown into this conversation was nothing if not jarring. 

“Knows what?” He responded unconvincingly as he glanced at Lucas’s watchful eyes. 

“I know who you are,” Lucas said deeply. 

Mark felt the weight drop out of his body. He looked at Jaehyun with a hint of panic in his dark eyes. “I um...” he cleared his throat, fear biting at him with sharp teeth. “I-” 

“Lucas was in the Guard for one of the claimant Houses,” Jaehyun explained gently, hoping his calm tone of voice would discourage panic from taking hold in the teenager. “He was there – and he knows I was stationed with one of the nephews.” 

Mark swallowed and closed his eyes. 

“He knows I was stationed with you,” Jaehyun continued. “He figured out who you are before we got to Elden City.” 

Mark couldn’t look at Lucas. He couldn’t look at Jaehyun either. This thing he had run from, that had so completely defined his identity for so long, had followed him back to this world like a shadow he couldn’t escape. “I... um... what’s going to...” Mark clenched his hand into a fist as he realised he was suddenly struggling to breathe. 

Jaehyun put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed the thick material of his jacket – Haechan's jacket – tightly. “Lucas isn’t going to tell anyone, and he isn’t going to do anything.” Mark shifted and tried to focus on the way Haechan’s coat felt against his shoulders. 

Mark felt cold and anxious. Memories of fear and running arrested him. There was a time when every person – aside from Jaehyun – had been a threat. A time in which every person – aside from Jaehyun – had wanted him dead. The only thing that had changed since then was that his identity had become obscured by time and anonymity. 

The real him, the cursed heir to the South, was still wanted by everyone. 

And yet here he was. Lucas’s gaze – unencumbered by ignorance – was painful and hot on Mark’s skin. 

“I’m not going to tell anyone and I’m not going to do anything.” Lucas parroted Jaehyun’s words with sincerity. 

“Please,” Mark breathed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was shaking a little. He felt sick. “I don’t want anything; I just want to...” 

To _live_ is what he was going to say, but the word dried in his throat before he could voice it. It sounded so stupid. It sounded desperate. But that’s exactly what he was. 

“Mark, I trust Lucas,” Jaehyun said seriously. He put his hand on the teen’s head to try and soothe him a little. “He won’t tell anyone.” 

Lucas swallowed. “I just... I have to ask.” 

Mark slowly raised his head to look at the Alpha. His youthful face flushed with emotion, and with Jaehyun’s large hand still on his hair, he felt young and helpless. 

“The curse...” 

Mark bit his lip and looked away. Jaehyun moved his hand back to the teen’s shoulder. The warmth of his palm was the only anchor Mark felt as the world dropped from beneath him. 

“Is it... have you ever...” Lucas’s voice dissipated weakly in the cool air. “Do you have it?” 

Mark shook his head definitively. “I swear – I've never felt it. I’ve never... felt that darkness they talked about... I’ve waited and waited and it’s just never happened.” 

Jaehyun nodded. Even though he’d spoken to Mark about this before – even though he’d watched the teenager for signs of it during their long secondment to Earth – it was still a relief to hear the negation in the teenager’s own voice. 

“I swear,” Mark said, his voice heavy. “If I ever did feel anything... Jaehyun,” his eyes flicked up to his brother, “I’d tell you straight away. I promise I would.” 

Jaehyun nodded and smiled. “You’re a good kid, Mark.” 

“I’m not a kid,” he mumbled reflexively. 

“Lucas is going to help us. Once our term with Taeyong’s House is served, he’ll help us get back.” 

Mark licked his lips and looked up at the Alphas. “To Earth?” 

Jaehyun nodded. Lucas watched him seriously. 

“Jaehyun... I,” Mark cleared his throat. “I think I like it here.” 

Jaehyun’s jaw set tightly. “Well, we’re stuck here for a while. So, it’s good you’ll enjoy it.” 

Mark nodded, knowing now wasn’t the time to have that conversation. 

He swallowed and looked down at his pale hands. Every day, he’d thought about the blood in his own veins... whether he was the recipient of his ancestors’ strangeness. Yet every night he’d made it through without any sign of peculiarity. He’d never felt darkness lace his eyes and cloud his decisions. He'd never felt wolf-like fangs grow from his gums. He’d never felt destructive power build in his body. 

But what none of them wanted to say was that there was always tomorrow and the next day, and the next, to the last syllable of recorded time. 

“I’m really tired.” Mark whispered; his eyes unfocussed. Stress was pulling at him. He wanted to be with someone who didn’t know who he really was. Who looked at him like he was charming and interesting. He wanted to be with Haechan. He wanted to be someone else. “I might go lie down.” 

Jaehyun nodded and took his hand from his brother's shoulder. 

“Mark,” Lucas said as the teenager stood. “I’ve got your back, alright?” 

Mark nodded, but he found the words hollow. Lucas had his _own_ back, he had to. In the end, everyone did. Lucas cared about himself and about those around him. And he knew Lucas would never look at him the same way again. 

“Thanks,” he murmured as he walked away. 

* * *

Johnny followed Taeyong into his rooms and gently shut the door behind him. 

It was nighttime. The air had turned from cool to icy, and Taeyong was feeling the change. 

They had been in the large reception hall in the main House for dinner that evening, where the Court had warmly, if belatedly, welcomed Taeyong back from his travels. He had dined with Johnny beside him, and the two of them were the target of much attention. 

Where people tended to watch Taeyong, to admire him from a distance, people in the Court tended to approach Johnny in the hopes of talking to him, sharing in his company and basking in his proximity to the Prince. 

Johnny was a popular target for affection, but there was also something enchanting in the narrative of a man bound to the service of another – forbidden to give commitment anywhere other than to his charge. 

But Johnny was also friendly and chatty and personable and affable. He charmed people with smiles and dances and compliments. He was the perfect extroverted balance to Taeyong’s façade of watchfulness and clinical otherness. But everyone knew that there was nothing Johnny took more seriously than his duty to Taeyong, and this only seemed to add to the appeal of them both. In being so committed, he also lent Taeyong an air of legitimacy; made Taeyong appear more human to those around him. Indeed, they knew each other so well that it was only when beside Johnny that Taeyong really seemed to relax in public. Edges that were sharp in icy silence and intimidating beauty, became rounded by the evidence of Johnny’s loyalty to something more akin to shyness and soft-spokenness. Understandable traits. _Omega_ traits. If Johnny could be so wholeheartedly protective without hesitation, the Prince must have had a heart after all. 

Haechan had also dined in the main House that night. He too was a popular addition to the circuit – a novelty in both his physical beauty and his role in Taeyong’s Guard. He sat with Johnny for most of the night, the two of them looking regal and handsome in their own distinct ways, strategically unassuming in the attention they knowingly gathered. 

Taeyong had met with his aunt after the dinner to discuss his next obligation, after which he and Johnny had politely made an exit for the evening. Haechan too, despite some of the Alpha nobles of Elden imploring him to stay longer, had also chosen this moment to leave. He bid Taeyong goodbye with a soft kiss to the cheek that no doubt had the intended effect on some of the covetous onlookers. 

Now back in his rooms, Taeyong wrapped his arms around himself and went straight to the fire that had been lit for him earlier in the night. The staff had closed all his curtains, which made the private rooms feel intimate and safe. 

“So,” Johnny murmured. "We're being sent to the Coast?” 

“Yes...” Taeyong stared into the flame. “It’s not what I expected. I assumed the Capital.” 

“How do you feel about the Coast instead?” 

“Overwhelmingly happy.” 

Johnny watched the Omega thoughtfully. Taeyong’s tone was dry but he wasn’t lying. He loved visiting the Coast, and Johnny knew this. But there was still tension in his voice. 

“We’ll get to see Jungwoo,” Taeyong said without looking away from the fire. “That will be nice.” 

Johnny chuckled wearily and walked closer to Taeyong. The firelight was luminous on his pale skin. “Lucas won’t be able to control himself.” 

Taeyong closed his eyes and hung his head softly. “Yes... that’s Jungwoo’s problem.” 

“You sound worried.” 

Taeyong kept his arms crossed over his lithe frame and bit his lip. “It’s too easy,” he said after a moment. “This is somewhere I _want_ to go. I always ask to visit Jungwoo in Winter, but my aunt always seems so reluctant to let us go. And now she sends us there before I even ask? She has to be planning something."

Johnny looked around them at the dark room – lit only by the fire in front of which Taeyong was standing. It was utterly private and dark. He stepped forward and slowly wrapped his arms around Taeyong’s frame from behind, looping his hands around the Omega's shoulders. He felt Taeyong stiffen for a moment, and then melt into the contact. Johnny exhaled as he felt the wolf's back press against his chest. 

“Johnny?” Taeyong asked as he put his hands on the Alpha’s forearms. The intimacy was unexpected, but Taeyong let himself be surrounded by it. He closed his eyes and inhaled the feeling of contentment. 

“Sorry... you looked cold.” 

“This is unlike you.” 

Johny closed his eyes and leant into Taeyong’s shoulder for a moment. “Yes. Sorry.” He let go. 

The Omega turned around before Johnny could move away and smoothly settled himself against the Alpha’s broad chest. He looped his arms loosely around Johnny’s hips, his face fitting perfectly in the space between the base of Johny’s throat and his jaw. He stilled there, feeling the tension in the Alpha’s body. “I am cold.” 

Johnny hesitated before slowly circling his arms around Taeyong’s shoulders again. This time, he held the Omega more completely against him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” 

“But you did,” Taeyong said with a glimmer of amusement in his voice. 

“I don't know why they’re sending us to the Coast now.” Johnny spoke the business-like words with a gentle tone. “It’ll be nice to get back on the road at least. And it will be warmer on the Coast.” 

Taeyong could feel Johnny’s deep voice reverberating into him as he spoke. He swallowed and smiled gently in pleasure. “It won’t be much warmer. And it will be freezing getting there.” 

“I’ll make sure you’re warm.” 

“Like this?” 

Johnny licked his lips and rubbed mindless circles on Taeyong’s back. The answer was so obvious it didn’t need to be spoken. There was no way this could happen. It couldn’t even be happening now. 

And yet it was. 

Johnny couldn’t help himself. Thinking it benign, he let his wolf instinct take over for a moment. A low, quiet grumble emanated from his chest. It was so quiet that it was barely audible. But Taeyong felt it. For a moment both their bodies thrummed with the same energy, like a purr of satisfaction had passed between them, oozing deep from Johnny’s torso and through Taeyong’s rib cage, into his heart. 

Taeyong shivered at the sensation and curled himself more completely into Johnny’s embrace. He hummed in mindless reciprocation, the sound mingling with his own wolfen instincts to pass the resonating pleasure back into Johnny’s muscular body. 

For the first time all day, Taeyong felt completely, undeniably warm from the base of his feet to the tips of his ears. They fit together like puzzle pieces, each wolf comforting the other in trusting, vulnerable reciprocation. 

“Did you tell Haechan that we’re leaving?” Johnny asked, his voice whisper-like as he moved one of his hands to Taeyong’s hair. 

Taeyong hummed in assent and gently slipped his warm hands underneath the bottom edge of Johnny's thick jumper so that his fingers traced against the naked, hot skin of his back. “He wasn’t surprised.” 

Johnny swallowed and controlled his scent at the new level of intimacy. “I should go and tell the others,” he said quietly. 

“You need to heal before we go anywhere," Taeyong spoke softly. He tightened his hold around Johnny’s body and anchored himself there. “Jaehyun too.” 

“We’re fine. We need to get through the mountain pass now, before the weather gets worse.” 

Taeyong didn’t say anything. He tilted his head back just a bit to place his lips on the hot skin of Johnny’s neck. He breathed against him and felt his heart ache with pleasure at the intimacy and warmth surrounding him. 

Both of them were remarkably controlled. No scent anywhere. Years of training kept them protected like an iron blockade. But that didn’t stop the wave of satisfaction Taeyong was feeling. 

It was almost more pure without the scent. It wasn’t an Omega craving an Alpha. It was Taeyong craving Johnny. 

“You lied to Haechan earlier,” Johnny said deeply. 

Taeyong couldn’t resist it. He parted his lips and gently tasted Johnny’s skin with the edge of his tongue. The Alpha swallowed in surprise, and another growl-like purr emanated between them, this time without his deciding to let it go. 

“What did I lie about?” Taeyong whispered. His lips ignited sparks against Johnny’s skin. 

Johnny took a breath, his face nestled in Taeyong’s hair. The firelight emanating from the corner of the room was warm on his eyes. “You told him you don’t like hugging people.” 

“I don’t.” Taeyong’s lips moved against Johnny’s skin as he spoke. He kissed the Alpha’s neck again and shivered at the fact that for just this rare moment, he could. “It’s just you.” 

Taeyong felt Johnny close up. 

Being so close to the Alpha – so completely intertwined in the embrace – Taeyong could track the progression of Johnny tensing away from the reminder of their intimacy. First his hands, then his forearms, biceps, shoulders, chest. A gradual wave of tension settled into the Alpha. Taeyong closed his eyes and pressed himself tightly against Johnny's strong body in an effort to soak up as much of his warmth and safety as he could before he was inexorably pushed away. 

Seeing it coming didn’t make it easier. Taeyong felt like he was being forced off a cliff. It happened slowly and gently and it took forever. 

Johnny unwrapped his arms from Taeyong’s back and carefully pried the Omega away from him. Taeyong didn’t offer any resistance as he was guided back. His hands swept from under Johny’s shirt, his face – flushed and warm from Johnny’s skin – felt icy in the air of the room. He exhaled and tried not to breathe; feeling as though replacing the air inside him would dilute the perfect moment in which he’d previously been immersed. 

“I'll tell the others about the journey tomorrow. We should leave soon – a few days at most.” Johnny didn’t look at Taeyong’s face as he stepped away. 

Taeyong crossed his arms gently over himself and looked back at the fire in silence. Johnny left soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Just wanted to say that I'm currently operating under a plan of having at least one new chapter up every week (with the likelihood of more, I just don't want to guarantee it!). I know I've been a bit inconsistent with upload dates and such, so just wanted to keep you in the loop! There should be at least one new chapter every week. If this isn't possible or something has to change, I'll let you know!
> 
> During my proof-reading, I've noticed that the story really begins to pick up some pace as we move into chapters 20+. Frankly, I think I just slowly got better at writing with a flow I'm happier with by that point, so that means there will be less work a bit further on in getting the chapters upload-ready, which should save me some time getting them out! I can't wait to share more with you - hopefully you stick around :) 
> 
> And, as always, I want to thank you guys for the kudos, subs and comments. If you have any questions or comments, I would absolutely LOVE to hear from you. It's so surreal and insanely rewarding to get a sense of what you're thinking and what you like (or don't! eeek!). Please never hesitate to leave a comment if you can :) 
> 
> I hope you all have a lovely day. Stay safe,  
> ~ahnohn


	15. Chapter 15

# Chapter Fifteen

Mark took a deep breath of fresh, winter air as he walked through the lush forest. 

It was a few hours after dawn, and the morning had passed quickly. Johnny had visited them just past day-break to share news of a pending itinerary – a journey to commence the next day, to visit Taeyong's cousin in the Coastal Capital for winter. 

Lucas had seemed sincerely overjoyed at the prospect, but Mark wasn’t too excited. It was, after all, another looming change to his so far fragile acclimatisation. But he was eager for the opportunity to be shielded once more from the bustling life here – back in the secluded wilderness and in the company of the wolves he knew best. Back where he could have Haechan to himself and try to forget about the weight of his identity. 

Jaehyun had noticed how restless he was after Johnny had visited and suggested Mark go for a walk to have some time alone. Mark was glad for the opportunity to have some space, but it did little to quiet his mind. His thoughts were relentless and incoherent. As he walked deeper into the thick gardens of the estate, his mind stumbled over endless topics and concerns, one after the other and back again: the marking criteria for his most recent history assignment on Earth, the weight of Lucas’s questions about the Southern curse, and the smooth flush of pink on Haechan’s perfect skin in the cool winter air. 

Distracted, his path was mindless and without purpose. But a few minutes into his wanderings, Mark startled out of his internal musings as he realised he had unwittingly stumbled across an archery range. The forest was thick and shadowed around him – a safe harbour from which he could peer out at the targets and the small cluster of youthful wolves who were practicing in the distance beyond. 

Mark paused and squinted as he looked out at a figure in the grey light of the winter morning. Mark swallowed as he recognised the wolf’s familiar gait and posture. He swallowed and went still. He knew instantly whom he was watching. 

Haechan was instructing the small group of young soldiers. Mark watched intently from the shadowed forest, and slowly identified one of the trainees as Jisung. 

Mark was self-conscious in his watching, but no one else was around in the thick undergrowth to witness his captivation. He observed, entranced, as Haechan – who was still too far to be heard – demonstrated the correct archery form in patient detail. The wolf looked powerful and athletic as he assumed the strong posture. Mark found his own shoulders tensing in mirror image as he studied the way Haechan moved. A few minutes passed, and then the students were trying it too. 

Mark licked his lips, his breath tightening, as he saw Haechan walk over to Jisung to correct his stance. Haechan mirrored the boy from behind, nudging his hands into different positions on the wood of the weapon. The action brought them close. 

Mark swallowed, feeling something acidic settle in his gut, as he imagined how the young Alpha would be able to feel Haechan’s breath on his ear, the warmth of his chest on his back, his smooth fingers curling over his own against the wood of the bow. It wasn’t right that this Alpha child – barely Presented – got to experience Haechan in this way. It was inappropriate and vexing. Mark wanted to pull them apart and protect the integrity of Haechan’s scent, which he suddenly coveted so strongly. 

Lost in these raging thoughts, Mark startled as suddenly, Haechan glanced up. Mark’s irrational monologue stilled instantly as the Omega looked through the sunlight and shadowed undergrowth of the forested hill rising behind the range, straight into Mark’s eyes. 

Mark faltered, his body going numb with surprise. Could Haechan even see him from so far looking through darkness? How had he known he was here? How had Mark even found this place? Something eerie settled in him at the connection. 

Mark nodded wordlessly, still unsure that he was being seen, but Haechan smiled and did the same. He didn’t draw attention to it. A moment after their gazes had connected, Haechan continued the lesson, giving the young wolves no opportunity to notice the disruption. 

Mark left soon after. He was rattled by the omniscient knowing Haechan had displayed, he was embarrassed by his captivation and startled at the strangeness of their finding each other. 

Later in the afternoon Mark sparred a little with Lucas under Jaehyun’s direction, and he enjoyed the demanding work of the session. It quietened his mind to do something that required his complete focus and physical dedication. Lucas was good too, and he had a slightly different technique to Jaehyun that forced him to expand his standard set of responses. 

That night, the three of them went to bed early. It was an icy evening, full of the ambiguous anticipation of the journey to come. 

Mark found the barracks eerie as he tried to sleep. Again, he shyly slipped Haechan’s coat on over his jumper as he struggled to stay warm. It was a clear night – not a cloud in the sky to hold the warmth of the day. Everything crystalline and icy and barren. 

Mark tried to doze, but couldn’t find rest. He stayed awake, lost in mindless, swirling thoughts, curled tightly against himself, cold even under all the layers he had gathered. 

Ever since his conversation with Lucas and Jaehyun the previous day, Mark had felt consumed by weariness and tension. His core was tight with it. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt the icy grip of snowy peaks, and a curse he couldn’t see but could feel lurking in the shadows that trailed behind him like a tiger stalking its prey. Thoughts of his own past merged with his life on Earth, and culminated in the feeling of Haechan’s attention piercing through the dark forest from the archery ranges. 

From the beds against the opposite wall, he could hear the subtle, steady sound of Jaehyun and Lucas’s breathing. He used the rhythm to pace his own inhalations. He focused on the pattern as a method of meditation, to calm his mind and allow peacefulness to consume him, if not rest. If his thoughts began to stray to darkness and panic, he would anchor himself in their company, and remember the feeling of Haechan’s hand in his own. 

It must have been past midnight when he heard the door creak open. Mark tensed, instantly alert, and opened his eyes sharply. The moon was bright that evening – so bright that it took him barely a moment to recognize the teenager who had poked his head into the small dormitory. 

Mark met Haechan’s gaze with wide eyes. Reflexively, he glanced around him in the dark, just in case the teen’s interest wasn’t meant for him. “Haechan?” he breathed the question into the quiet of the room like a prayer. 

Haechan held a finger up to his lips, wary of the disruption to the quiet, and motioned for Mark to follow him. He stepped quietly back outside and shut the door silently behind him. 

Mark swallowed and froze in the stillness of the room. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming. He blinked, listening for any sign of disturbance in Jaehyun and Lucas’s even breaths, and then – finding none – swung his legs slowly off the bed. 

He tried not to shiver as he pulled on his boots. He popped the collar of Haechan’s coat to cover more of his neck and, as he stood, he grabbed the top blanket off the bed and wrapped it around himself. 

He crept to the door in silence and slowly stepped out into the night. 

Haechan was standing a few paces away, a youthful smile of collusion on his face. The moon – stark white like a spotlight – cast his handsome features in shades of porcelain grey. His breath plumed before him in glistening mist. “Hey.” 

Mark hugged the blanket around him tightly as he closed the door. “Hey,” he breathed back, smiling by default. 

Haechan was standing by a small column supporting the awning outside. He was dressed in his warm Guard clothes, the cloth thick and cosy. “I saw you at the archery range today.” He sounded almost chiding. 

Mark sniffed in the cool air. He didn’t know what to say. “I didn’t mean to follow you or anything,” he explained awkwardly, whispering in the stillness. “I didn’t know where I was going.” He scratched at his jaw, but the movement was curtailed by the blanket he was holding. “I don’t know how you saw me from so far away.” 

“I could feel you watching.” 

Haechan had said this with some bravado and mystery, but Mark wasn’t exactly taking it as a joke. Their awareness of each other felt oddly meaningful to him. “Could you actually?” 

Haechan swallowed, noticing the note of sincerity in the question. He hadn't stopped to think about this. He certainly hadn’t _seen_ Mark watching from so deep in the forest. He had just suddenly known he was there. He looked away and chuckled thinly in an attempt to dispel the strange tension. “Why are you awake?” He changed the subject. 

Mark didn’t mind the redirection. “Just couldn’t sleep.” He sniffed again, cold. “You?” 

Haechan nodded in agreement. “It’s so bright – I always struggle on nights like this.” 

Mark could see Haechan’s breath dissipating into the crystal night. The cloud wafted away from him like he was burning. He looked down and saw his own breath doing the same. 

“Too bright for you too?” 

Mark shook his head. His wakefulness had been fed by monotonous thoughts – a repetitive hum of oppressive chatter that flickered in his mind. Self-doubt, self-interest, Lucas’s questions, Haechan’s smile. And behind it all, a strange tension of wakefulness he just couldn't shake. He was feeling suddenly shy. “Just... couldn’t sleep.” 

Haechan smiled as he appraised Mark’s untied shoes and the blanket he had pulled over his shoulders. "Do you want to walk up to the lookout with me?” he asked as he pulled his coat further over him. 

Mark blinked, mystified. Immediate agreement rose in his throat, but he quashed it with a wince. He licked his lips and glanced reluctantly behind him at the barracks where Jaehyun and Lucas were sleeping. “I shouldn’t.” 

Haechan looked at him with slight confusion, which then gave way to impatience as he recognised the reluctance. “Come on,” he smiled, “we’ll be fine. They won’t find out. I'm not going to do anything to you.” He appraised Mark with amusement. “You can bring the blanket.” 

Mark smirked and looked down at his shoes. He could tell Haechan liked breaking these rules set by Lucas... that he liked rebelling against the control of the Alphas around him. But would it really be so bad? Couldn't they have this?

“Um... okay...” 

Haechan laughed quietly and fell into step next to Mark. He led him up the forest path, bracken cracking under their feet. They walked for about ten minutes, up and up and up. By the time they got to the small lookout, Mark was puffing slightly with the effort. Exertion had warmed him from the inside. 

Haechan had led them to a small, secluded clearing. Around them, the night was utterly still and quiet. Haechan moved over to a bench and peered out into the darkness. As Mark walked towards the Omega, he was struck into momentary awe by the view stretching before him. In front of the bench was a sharp drop off. He could see the town lacing the hillside and the valley below, but beyond that – illuminated by the moonlight and starlight into an illusion of something carved by the Gods from ice – was a vast landscape of mountains and rolling hills, cascading down into the earth and reaching up into the heavens. It was beautiful, and a reminder how little Mark had ever seen of this part of his world. 

“Woah,” he breathed. 

Haechan smiled and gently grabbed at the cloth on his wrist and pulled him down onto the bench next to him. 

Mark sniffed and hugged the blanket around his shoulders as he sat. He kept his eyes fixed on the mountain range in the distance, but his attention was very much with the Omega beside him. 

“Give me some of that,” Haechan said, impatient but whispering in reflexive reverence towards the stillness they disturbed. 

Mark obediently edged closer and tried not to flinch in surprise as Haechan lifted one side of the blanket from his body so that he could pull it around them both. Their shoulders pressed tightly together. 

Mark swallowed at the closeness. 

“See those mountains?” Haechan asked as he pulled the blanket tight around them. He used his free had to point through the crystal air, and leant so close that as he spoke, the plume of his breath mingled with Mark’s own. 

Mark nodded, even though he wasn’t paying attention to the mountains. “Yeah?” 

“Past those mountains is the Coast.” 

“That’s where we’re going?” Mark’s voice was ambient. 

Haechan smiled and nodded. “Excited?” 

“Yeah,” Mark smiled self-consciously. He knew he was being watched, but he didn’t mind. In Haechan’s company, he didn’t feel embarrassed. It was just him and Haechan and the night. “Have you been before?” 

“Mm,” Haechan brought his hand back in and snuggled closer to Mark. He leaned his cheek against the Alpha’s shoulder and smiled for a moment as he remembered the coat that Mark was wearing was his own. “I’ve visited with Taeyong before, but my family is from the Coast too.” 

Mark’s expression lifted in surprise. “Really?” 

“Yeah, from Rye. It's just a day’s ride further than the Coastal Capital, where Taeyong’s cousin is.” 

Mark nodded, his eyes trained on the mountains and the distance between him and them. “Will you visit?” 

Haechan nodded softly. “Yeah, probably,” he nestled closer to Mark and rubbed his hands together. He didn't feel like elaborating on that any further. 

“Can you tell me what your home is like?” Mark’s voice was gentle and calm. 

Haechan smiled and closed his eyes, feeling more relaxed than he had all day. A deep tension in his mind began to ease. His body felt calm and warm. 

“Hmm... It’s warmer than here. Still cold in the winter though.” He sniffed and shivered slightly. 

Mark reached out under the blanket to slip his fingers into Haechan’s icy hand. For a moment, nervousness echoed through him at the instigation, but it vanished as the Omega accepted the contact. He surrounded Mark’s hand with his own, as they had done a few days before at the wall overlooking the barracks. The warmth from the Alpha was radiating, and Haechan felt himself loosen in appreciation. 

“What does it look like?” Mark whispered as he felt Haechan’s fingers enclose around his palm. He felt like he was melting. 

“You can see the ocean,” Haechan spoke on. His eyes were still closed, his voice dreamy as he saw the landscape in his mind. “It’s sunny most of the time, and there are yellow flowers everywhere.” 

“Sounds nice.” Mark smiled. He stared out at the icy, silver-stained vista below them. “Why did you leave?” 

Haechan shrugged and moved a little so that he could lean against Mark more completely. Mark could tell from his angle against him that the Omega wasn’t looking out at the view. “I always wanted to come here and be in the Guard,” he spoke because he could. Because he wanted to tell Mark about himself, if only because he enjoyed the feeling of him listening. “My sisters handle all the family stuff.” Mark didn’t speak as Haechan continued running his fingers mindlessly over his palm. “I trained here as a recruit before I Presented.” 

“You must have been a young recruit,” Mark murmured. 

“I only Presented a year ago.” Haechan smirked. "I think I scared it into waiting.” 

Mark’s expression pulled into one of slight confusion. His intrigue bit through the haze of comfort that had surrounded him just enough for him to ask: “wait... can you do that?” 

Haechan rolled his eyes and released one of his hands from Mark’s to hit him on the leg lightly underneath the blanket in reprimand. “Of course you can’t do that, loser.” He didn’t wait to return his hands to Mark’s warm skin. “I just mean for me, at the time, I didn't... this Presentation was the worst thing I could imagine.” 

Mark licked his lips and turned to look at Haechan’s face. The Omega, who had been resting against his shoulder, pulled back slightly to return the gaze. “Why didn’t you want to be an Omega?” Mark asked with genuine curiosity. 

Haechan smiled at the naivety in the Alpha’s eyes. “Practically everyone in my family is an Alpha. I was _so sure_ I would be an Alpha. _E_ _veryone_ was sure... I was already a fledged member of the Guard here by the time I Presented.” 

Mark went quiet as he tried to think about this. He couldn’t imagine Haechan as an Alpha... he couldn’t visualise it. “But... you’re still in the Guard.” 

“Thanks to Taeyong and Johnny,” Haechan said seriously. He closed his eyes and returned to his place against Mark’s shoulder, his expression out of sight. “After I Presented, I was going to be refused and sent back, but I made a personal appeal to Johnny and he... well,” Haechan laughed, “they needed me. Taeyong has to travel with at least one person who’s not an Alpha and I think both he and Johnny liked the idea of it being someone who would pull their weight too.” 

Mark mulled on this information for a while. “How did it feel?” He asked quietly. 

Haechan, who was lost in his own thoughts, almost missed the Alpha’s gentle voice. “What?” 

“What was it like when you Presented?” Mark repeated. He shivered as a soft breeze passed over them and reflexively he moved a little closer to Haechan. The Omega, with just the slightest hesitation, slipped his arm under Mark’s to link them together, and bent his legs up so that his knees were resting on his thigh. 

“The worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.” Haechan responded dryly once they had settled more closely together. 

“Really?” Mark could hear his own heartbeat. He wondered if Haechan could feel it too. 

“Actually,” Haechan chuckled darkly to himself, “no... it probably ties with my first heat.” 

Mark swallowed and ran his thumb over Haechan’s palm as he thought about this. “I didn’t know it... um... hurt so badly.” 

Haechan closed his eyes again and focused on Mark’s warmth. 

“What did it feel like?” 

Haechan and opened his eyes. From his spot against his shoulder, he couldn’t see Mark’s face. But he watched the way the Alpha’s breath plumed into the air in the darkness around him. His presence was calming. “The Presentation was just painful. But the first heat...” he shivered. “It’s like...” he licked his lips and looked up at the wolf. “Do you really want to know?” 

Mark nodded and pulled back enough to reciprocate Haechan’s gaze. His expression was serious. His eyes were deep and attentive. “Yeah.” 

Haechan took a deep breath. He leant his head back against Mark’s shoulder, because he couldn’t handle staring into his eyes when he was being this honest. “It’s like, you can’t think, and you can’t breathe, and everything hurts more than you ever imagined. Like just every part of you is on fire and you can’t decide if it hurts less when you move around or when you stay still, and you can’t sleep and you can’t eat...” Haechan bit his lip and moved one of his hands up to pick absently at the material of his coat – thick on Mark’s arms. “The worst part is the lack of control.” Emotion crept into his voice now – foreign and cold. “It’s like you completely lose yourself. I didn't even know who I was anymore. All I could think about was...” he cleared his throat and Mark felt his face flush with colour at the thought. “It’s scary to think of myself at the mercy of other people like that.” 

Mark felt his chest constrict in second-hand pain. “That’s awful.” Without thinking, he put his other hand on Haechan’s knee and rubbed circles into the fabric of his trousers. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault.” 

“I’m sorry for not... knowing I guess.” 

Haechan lost himself in the warmth of Mark’s hand. “I’ve been told I shouldn’t talk about it.” 

Mark smiled at the characteristic rule-breaking. “I mean... I asked.” 

Haechan smirked and nuzzled his shoulder. “Are we sharing secrets now?” 

Mark snuggled further into the blanket. “No,” he said, but his voice was shaped with contentment. 

“Marku-yah~” Haechan cooed. He put one of his hands over the Alpha’s body to rest against his opposite side. “Come on, we’re best friends now.” 

“Are we?” 

“How rude.” 

Mark smiled. “What secrets?” 

“What was _your_ Presentation like?” 

Mark pursed his lips as he thought about this. Haechan was heavy and warm against him. His body ached with comfort. “It was... uncomfortable,” he responded after a moment. “I think I hallucinated actually.” 

Mark felt Haechan shift, his fingers tapped lightly against the thick material covering his hipbone. The motion was mindless, but it reminded Mark of how close they were. “What about?” 

Mark stared out at the mountains and lost himself in thought. Even as his mind ventured into icily distilled memories that he so longed to forget, he felt strangely safe and warm with Haechan beside him. “I knew Jaehyun then. He was one of the first people to check on me after it started.” He shook his head and moved his hand so that it was flat against Haechan’s warm thigh. “I remember looking at him and...” he hesitated because of how ridiculous it sounded. “It looked like he was… kind of… disintegrating.” He waited to see if Haechan would say anything, but the Omega didn’t move. “Kind of like... his eyes turned black, then his face sort of... fell into darkness. He was looking at me and talking to me, but he just looked hollow... like there was nothing in him. He kept asking me questions, but I couldn't understand him. It was... scary." Haechan squeezed his hand gently. “Everything started to go dark after that,” he spoke on hesitantly. “I tried to run away... I tried to leave, but everything just... Everything I touched and everything I looked at got captured in it... I tried to run, but it was like I was taking it with me. I couldn't escape it.” He picked at the material of Haechan’s trousers anxiously as he relived the scene. 

“That sounds terrifying.” 

Mark licked his lips. He couldn’t find it in himself to laugh. “Yeah, I guess." Mark swallowed and focused on the vista before him. He anchored himself to Haechan’s warmth. “Once it caught up with me, I was just surrounded. I couldn't see or hear or smell anything. It was just me... alone. I don't know how long I was stuck in it. I think I passed out after that.” 

“Mark... that’s horrible.” 

Mark shrugged and smiled politely. “To be fair, I haven’t heard of anyone enjoying the process.” He shifted and pulled the blanket tighter. “At least that was the end of it. I’m lucky I don’t have... heats or anything.” 

To be honest, Mark wanted to know more about heats and how this worked. He wanted to know if Haechan could feel them coming on, or if he could track them accurately, if it was better when someone was around him – like Jaehyun had been there for Taeyong. He wanted to know how Haechan smelt Lucas, compared to how _he_ smelt Lucas. He wanted to know what he smelt like to Haechan. He wanted to know everything. 

In the silence, Haechan fidgeted a little closer. The blanket was up around his face now, so that just his eyes and nose peeked out from above it. His cheek was resting against Mark’s shoulder, his arm slung across the Alpha’s body. How easily they had settled into such an intimate space. Haechan tried to tell himself it was just like hugging Taeyong... but it didn’t stick. This was entirely different. “How about you tell me a fun secret now?” He distracted himself with another question. 

Mark smiled. “Yes please, it’s your turn.” 

“Hmm...” Haechan sang whimsically. He played with the frayed edge of his jacket. Mark’s smell was all around him, but it was soothing and nonaggressive, mostly just the unconscious ambience of an untrained wolf who was deeply relaxed and weary. He probably should have called it out, but Haechan was enjoying it too much. “I did like one thing about Presenting as Omega.” 

“Yeah?” 

Haechan smirked. “I got out of an arranged pairing I really wasn’t looking forward to.” 

Mark frowned and flinched. “What?” 

“I feel so bad.” Haechan buried his face in the Alpha’s neck. Mark smirked, partly because the younger wolf’s nuzzling was adorable, and partly because it didn’t sound much at all like Haechan felt bad. Warmth radiated in him. “She was this Omega from a neighbouring family. She’s really sweet but _oh Gods_ ,” Haechan shifted his hand to Mark’s chest, his fingers catching on the brass button on the pocket beneath the blanket, “she was _so boring_.” 

Mark laughed. Warmth was in his blood. “I can’t imagine you being mated to someone boring.” 

Haechan, feeling Mark was comfortable, settled into the new position. “I was set on being in the Guard anyway, so would it have been a crappy life for her, always living alone in Rye.” 

“Maybe... or maybe she would have liked you never being around.” 

Haechan pouted but couldn’t bring himself to muster the energy to pull back and look Mark in the eye. The cool air it would have let into their tight, warm cocoon far outweighed the notion of retribution. “Mark, she cried for _three days_.” 

“You're exaggerating.” Mark chuckled. He felt for this nameless girl who missed out on the opportunity of being with Haechan. But he couldn’t help the satisfaction that Haechan _wasn’t_ betrothed any more. 

“Your turn.” 

“That didn’t sound like a secret.” 

Haechan sighed, but he sounded content. “You can just tell me a story if you want.” Haechan closed his eyes and hummed a note of comfort. Sleepiness was pulling at him. 

“What about?” 

“Whatever you like.” 

Mark closed his eyes too. His mind jumped through memories like he was shuffling a deck of cards. “There was a girl in my class, on Earth,” he spoke softly, almost whispering. The night around them seemed to cloak them in intimacy. Everything was quiet. “She kissed me one day behind the change rooms at the school.” 

“Oh?” Haechan hummed in collusive interest. He’d heard about Earth schools. The culture sounded strange and institutionalised. “Scandalous.” 

Mark smirked at the sleepy Omega’s reaction. “Jaehyun told me that night that he could smell my... surprise... from the other side of town.” 

Haechan snorted. “Oh Gods, Mark,” he smirked condescendingly and curled himself even closer. The warmth of their bodies was searing and perfect. “That’s so embarrassing.” 

Mark felt himself blush, but in the grey nighttime, he didn’t really mind. He was getting used to blushing around the Omega. “It really is embarrassing. Jaehyun started teaching me about scent training as soon as I got home.” 

“It’s his own fault really for not teaching you sooner.” 

“I guess...” Mark breathed. He realised that at some point they’d sunk down so that his face was now messed in Haechan’s soft hair. His lips were almost touching the wolf’s ear. His eyes fluttered closed. Everything felt warm and calm and weary. “Maybe he liked knowing where I was all the time.” 

“He's very protective, isn’t he?” Haechan mused sleepily. 

Mark indulged in the silence that followed. For the first time in what felt like ages, he was deeply, truly relaxed. Mark closed his eyes softly, content to soak up Haechan’s warmth for a moment. He exhaled and felt the last knot of tension leave his spine. He rubbed his thumb across Haechan’s leg and lost himself in the way the Omega’s body inflated with each breath against his own. 

“Are you warm enough?” Mark managed to murmur as fatigue settled behind his closed eyes. 

Haechan was already asleep. 


End file.
